Football match-fixing at all levels must be shown a red card
- Some 23 arrests, including coach and players, by Hong Kong graft-buster have shocked the local game
Competitive sport and gambling make problematic bedfellows. As they are not easily separated, Hong Kong decriminalised football betting under a Jockey Club monopoly to regulate it and use the revenue for the benefit of society. But this has not deterred illegal operators and punters, on both sides of the border. An example has surfaced in the city’s latest football corruption scandal.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption has arrested 23 people including a coach and 11 players from one team in the biggest crackdown on match-fixing in recent years. The ICAC said it involved First and Second Division matches in which bribes were allegedly received to manipulate results, such as to show unexpected defeats, for illegal bookmaking operations.
Investigators said that as well as players, the suspects included members of a bookmaking syndicate. The ICAC is reported to have interviewed players from a club in the First Division – the second tier after the Hong Kong Premier League – and two from the Second Division. Alleged fraudulent behaviour resulted in poor performance on the pitch and the desired score at full-time.
What sets this case apart is that while football gambling is a chronic problem, most people would not bet on local lower division matches because no one is interested. The market is from the mainland, mainly the Greater Bay Area. The junior division players are amateurs and only receive a transport allowance for playing for the club. It is therefore likely that the impact of the scandal on the development of Hong Kong football will be minimal. Nonetheless, it does nothing for the reputation of the local game.
Tackling match-fixing in Hong Kong football no easy goal, chief admits
Over the past decade, more than 30 players, coaches and others have been accused, charged or convicted of taking bribes and trying to fix the results of games. But gambling on football has progressed far beyond that, and punters may now bet on everything from when goals will be scored, to the number of yellow or red cards shown.
Football has global rules prohibiting betting or gambling-related activities by players, coaches, club officials, referees and their intermediaries. Corruption, from the board room to the playing field, can sap the vitality instrumental to closing the gap between domestic and international competition. China, ranked 80th in the world, is evidence of that, with a vice-chairman of the Chinese Football Association, an ex-president of the body and a former men’s team coach under investigation, among others.
The ICAC reacted swiftly when alerted by a match-fixing complaint. Those responsible should be brought to justice. There may not be a high risk of such an activity at a more senior level, but nipping corruption in the bud is one way to make sure of it.
