The suspects included half of the team in question and also those who were believed to be the backbone members of a bookmaking syndicate including the mastermind, she added.

“This operation originated from a complaint targeting a specific player, but after a series of investigations, intelligence gathering and fact-finding by the ICAC, we later found half of this team’s members were part of the match-fixing,” Cheuk said, declining to name the football side involved.

“This situation is very worrying and heartbreaking.”

She said each of the suspects from the team received up to HK$10,000 (US$1,275) as a reward, depending on their efforts to meet the objective of losing a match. She said some of these suspects also gained by illegal betting. The suspects were arrested on Monday.

As the syndicate could predict the results of games, they placed bets on gambling websites or with bookmakers to make money.

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Out of 26 matches this season, the team either lost or drew 18 games, said Allen Leung Wing-hang, chief investigator of the ICAC’s operations department.

“We found that in many of the related matches, there was some suspected fraudulent behaviour and odd mistakes,” he added.

Leung said the syndicate had three main strategies in rigging matches – having players perform poorly, controlling the score, and changing bets depending on the odds. He added that before a match, the syndicate would approach players and coaches to discuss how to rig the game.

During a match, those making outside bets would signal to players through exaggerated movements, such as adjusting their socks or jacket hoods.

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“Apart from communications beforehand, communication and signals were seen during games,” Cheuk said.

After the match, players would be rewarded according to their performance, with potential payouts worth thousands of dollars. Some players would also bet on the rigged match.

Cheuk said the team’s management were also victims, as they did not want their footballers to engage in this type of behaviour.

Players from first division side Happy Valley, and second division clubs Tung Sing and Fu Moon were interviewed by the ICAC on Monday, the Post learned.

The first division is the second tier of football after the Hong Kong Premier League.

The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau said it was “extremely shocked” that such an incident had occurred in the city. It added it would not tolerate local football being tarnished by players or coaches fixing a match out of greed.

“We support the ICAC’s actions and we deeply expect the sports industry to face the problem seriously and prevent it from happening again,” a spokesman said.

Pui Kwan-kay, the Hong Kong Football Association chairman, said the governing body had “zero tolerance for match-fixing” and would do its best to help authorities stamp out the problem.

“We are sorry to hear about the match-fixing case today,” he said. “There are people who are prepared to risk their future to get involved in such misdeeds, and as the governing body, we will try our best to help the authorities stamp out these problems in domestic football.”

Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, who represents the sports, performing arts, culture and publication sector in the legislature, said he felt regret over the fraudulent behaviour on display.

He noted the anti-graft body’s action in rooting out bad apples was a good thing for the healthy development of football, adding that he hoped those involved in the sport would not take part in any illegal activity.

Happy Valley finished 10th in the 14-team league this season, conceding 84 goals in the process. Kwai Tsing, who finished bottom, let in 106.

With the 16-team second division not yet concluded, Tung Sing and Fu Moon are presently 11th and 14th respectively.

Cheuk said there were no indications to suggest any referees were involved.

But she said further arrests were possible as the investigation was continuing. She said she believed the case was isolated and there were no implications that match-fixing activities were common in local football.

All of those arrested were released before the early hours of Wednesday, the Post learned.

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In 2017, the ICAC charged five former players of ­Premier League side Pegasus with offering and accepting bribes totalling HK$60,000 while trying to fix three reserve league matches.

Among them, former Hong Kong footballer of the year Lee Wai-lim was sentenced to 180 hours of community service for pocketing HK$10,000 in exchange for trying to fix matches. Four others were cleared of charges.

In 2014, Croatian Happy Valley player Sasa Mus was convicted of fixing a first division match and jailed for 12 months. He was accused of not playing to the best of his abilities in a game against Royal Southern in November 2013.