The immediate fate of five players charged with match-fixing has been left in the hands of their clubs after an emergency meeting of the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) council last night.
After a behind-closed-doors meeting lasting 45 minutes, HKFA officials emerged to confirm they would not suspend the registrations of Kevin Lok Kar-win, Lee Wai-man, Chan Chi-keung, Wai Kwan-lung and Lau Chi-yuen, who all denied match-rigging charges at a court appearance on Tuesday.
HKFA chairman Victor Hui Chun-fui said it would be 'inappropriate' for the body to take action before the conclusion of criminal proceedings.
'We have discussed this issue in depth, and after considerable deliberation, we have decided that it really is not for us to take action at this stage,' Hui said.
'We have to bear in mind that the matter is now being dealt with by the ICAC and the courts. We feel it would be inappropriate to take any sort of formal action before their case is dealt with,' said Hui, who had initially been in favour of freezing registration of the players.
Although the HKFA declined to take action against the five accused, association officials are urging local clubs to take advantage of section 11 of the Employment Ordinance and prevent the players from turning out in local leagues until after their trial.