bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Chris Lau

Happy Valley's soccer players put in perhaps their best performance of the season in a cup game their assistant coach is accused of trying to fix, the team's goalkeeper told a court yesterday.
Leung Man-lai was giving evidence for the prosecution for a second day in the Eastern Court trial of Fan Weijun, a midfielder from the mainland who was the team's assistant coach.
Fan, 35, had denied conspiracy to defraud. Prosecutors yesterday amended the charge to one of incitement to commit conspiracy. He, again, pleaded not guilty.
Leung earlier told the court that, the night before the game against Sun Pegasus, he received a "strange" phone call he believed to be from Fan telling him to concede "three to four goals".
Under cross-examination from Fan's counsel Albert Poon Ying-yin, Leung said the team had played as normal.
"From your observation as a player, everyone has tried their best in the game?" Poon asked.
"Yes," Leung replied.
Poon suggested to Leung that "it's probably the best game the team had played during that season?" "You can say that," Leung responded.
The Senior Shield game, on December 8, was settled by a penalty kick, Poon said. Poon told the court Leung failed to save the penalty despite doing his utmost to prevent the other team from scoring.
The defence counsel also noted that Sun Pegasus finished second in the First Division, while Happy Valley had been bottom.
After the call asking him to let in goals, Leung told the court he contacted Fan using WhatsApp messenger, telling him he "did not know how to do that".

Leung had been reluctant to play, but had to because the team's regular first-choice goalkeeper was injured.
Poon put it to Leung that he could not tell clearly who was on the phone when the conversation in question took place. Even if it was his client, he said, Leung could have misinterpreted the message - which could mean "it doesn't matter if he lost three or four goals".
Leung, 25, has since left Happy Valley for Wofoo Tai Po in the newly established Hong Kong Premier League.
In his closing submission, Poon questioned Leung's credibility as a witness and said he seemed to give short and inconsistent answers.
"There was also no evidence showing that [my client] had made any gains, nor did he take part in any betting," he said.
But prosecutor Sabrina See cited Leung as saying he was sure the phone call implied match-fixing, and that he knew it was Fan who was on the phone.
The words Fan allegedly said - asking the keeper to lose "three to four goals" - were sufficient to convict Fan, See told the court.
Club officials including chairman Pui Kwan-kay attended the trial. Deputy Magistrate Colin Wong Sze-cheung will deliver his verdict today.
 


Happy Valley soccer team was at its best in fix-case cup match

Happy Valley chairman Pui Kwan-kay (left) and former goalkeeper Leung Man-lai arrive at Eastern Court yesterday. Photos: Dickson Lee

Fan Weijun denies a charge of incitement to defraud. Photo: Dickson Lee

News

Hong Kong

Happy Valley lost by only one goal to high-flying Sun Pegasus despite captain's attempts to secure a big defeat, goalkeeper tells trial


Happy Valley's soccer players put in perhaps their best performance of the season in a cup game their assistant coach is accused of trying to fix, the team's goalkeeper told a court yesterday.


Happy Valley soccer team was at its best in fix-case cup match

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Happy Valley lost by only one goal to high-flying Sun Pegasus despite captain's attempts to secure a big defeat, goalkeeper tells trial

Happy Valley lost by only one goal to high-flying Sun Pegasus despite captain's attempts to secure a big defeat, goalkeeper tells trial