12 players and coaches arrested over football match-fixing and illegal gambling

Twelve people, including nine professional football players, were arrested by ICAC for allegedly offering and accepting bribes for match-fixing in the local Premier League and also the Second Division.

The arrestees, aged 24 to 54, are the head coach and two players of a Premier League football club; the coach and four players of a Second Division club; the player of another Second Division football team; as well as three illegal betting agents who are respectively head coach and players of three other local football clubs.

The anti-graft watchdog made the arrests on Monday (May 27) after an investigation revealed that the twelve, including the mastermind and backbone members of the crime syndicate, were bribed for match-fixing to facilitate profiting from illegal gambling during three football seasons since 2021.

It is alleged that the coaches gave secret signals to the football players to manipulate the match results - such as the number of goals or corner kicks, the match scores, etc - while placing bets through their associates and profiting from illegal gambling. 

It was learned that the illegal bets placed by individual arrestees in one season amounted to over HK$1 million. 

Over 20 premises and residences of the arrestees were raided, while more than 20 individuals including several football players were also interviewed during the investigation.

All arrestees have been released on bail.

The ICAC has dismantled a corruption syndicate involved in football match-fixing and illegal gambling back in May 2023, resulting in the arrest of 23 individuals, including a coach and 11 footballers from the first division league.

The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau said it noticed that the investigation conducted by the ICAC and it has requested the Football Association of Hong Kong, China (HKFA) to invite the anti-graft watchdog for a comprehensive review of the corruption prevention arrangement of the professional football leagues in the city.

The HKFA said it has cooperated with ICAC to review the code of ethics and relevant guidelines, where the staff and stakeholders of football matches at different divisions have participated in anti-bribery talks to safeguard the importance of fair competition.

Separately, the ICAC will launch the "Integrity and Corruption Prevention Guide for National Sports Associations" to provide guidance on the principles and standards of good governance and internal control of National Sports Associations and corruption prevention advice including code of conduct for athletes, coaches and other stakeholders, application of technology to foster integrity and fairness in sports competition.

It also reviews corruption-prone areas of the Football Association to further enhance the integrity management and corruption prevention capabilities of the football sector.

(Updated at 8.11 pm)