Head coach, football player among 3 charged in connection with Hong Kong match-fixing case
The city's anti-corruption agency has charged three people, including a head coach and a player from two Hong Kong Premier League football teams, in connection with an alleged match-fixing scandal.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said on Wednesday that it had laid a holding charge of conspiracy to bet with a bookmaker on two betting agents.
The pair are Chiu Chung-man, 54, head coach of Hong Kong Rangers Football Club in the Hong Kong Premier League at the time of the alleged offence, and Ho Sze-hon, 45.
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Liang Ngai-tung, 19, a defender with Sham Shui Po Sports Association, faces a holding charge of betting with a bookmaker.
The trio were among 12 players and coaches arrested in an ICAC operation last month for allegedly fixing matches and placing illegal bets on games over the course of three seasons.
In the 2023-24 season, Rangers, Sham Shui Po, Eastern FC and the HK U23 football team competed in the Premier League.
Chiu and Ho allegedly conspired together to place bets with a bookmaker on December 30 last year over a JC Sapling Cup match between Sham Shui Po and HK U23, the ICAC said.
Betting on local matches organised by the Football Association of Hong Kong, China is banned.
Between May 30 and June 5 this year, Liang also allegedly placed numerous bets with a bookmaker through a mobile app, including on a Hong Kong FA Cup match between Sham Shui Po and Eastern on June 1.
The trio were released on bail. The case will be mentioned at Eastern Court on Thursday, an ICAC spokesman said.
The 10-club Hong Kong Premier League previously expressed regret and condemned any actions that undermined the integrity of local football.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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