Happy Valley football club to audit money from sponsors after match-fixing allegations

Lawyers will be hired to investigate the finances of the First Division Happy Valley soccer team and audit the contributions it receives from sponsors, the chairman of the club says.

The decision was made after six Happy Valley players, the club's executive officer, a former player and a sponsor representative were arrested by the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Tuesday for alleged match-fixing.

Four games scheduled for this month involving Happy Valley and another First Division team, Tuen Mun, have been postponed pending the outcome of the ICAC investigation.

Happy Valley Athletic Association chairman Pui Kwan-kay said the club would meet its financial backers this week to "clarify their roles". It would also hire lawyers to audit the money from various sponsors "to rebuild the reputations of the sponsors and the club", and work on an internal investigation.

Club director Kwong Hiu-ming, who had resigned allegedly because of disagreements with sponsors, would return, he added. Earlier this week, Pui said on radio that "sponsors sometimes influenced the operations of soccer teams", but he did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, four foreign soccer teams will join this year's Lunar New Year Cup.