Hong Kong FA chief Fok open to return for trouble-hit Happy Valley, ex-player Scott chasing cash after liquidation
- Hong Kong FA chairman Eric Fok not ruling out a return after club was liquidated on Wednesday
- Former midfielder Charlie Scott left chasing ‘a lot of money’ from old employers, prepared to broker deal to end saga
Hong Kong football boss Eric Fok Kai-shan said he would welcome Happy Valley back into the domestic league structure, despite the 73-year-old club being liquidated after failing to pay a number of players’ salaries.
Midfielder Charlie Scott, who is now with Kitchee, issued Happy Valley with a winding-up petition after failing to recover wages from the 2020-21 season he spent with the club.
The six-times Hong Kong champions, who have been embroiled in match-fixing scandals twice in the past decade, were not represented at the High Court hearing that confirmed their demise on Wednesday.
Scott told the Post he did not want to see Happy Valley fold, but had been backed into a corner by the club’s long-standing failure to pay the substantial sum he is owed.
Happy Valley Football Club operated under the umbrella of Happy Valley Athletic Association, and a possible scenario could see a new company created, enabling the team to reform under the same name.
“The court decided on the outcome, and we respect that,” Fok, the Hong Kong Football Association chairman, said. “Our starting point is to develop football, so we need more teams, and we encourage any team to come to our league.
“We hope more teams means more talent and, ultimately, Hong Kong doing well on the international platform. Any team that meets the HKFA criteria is welcome to join the league.”
Scott declined to reveal the exact sum he is owed, but said it was “a lot of money”.
Asked if he sympathised with Scott, and other former players pursuing unpaid salaries, Fok said: “Of course … but each case is its own situation. We will respect the club’s and court’s decision. But the athletes are the most important people.”
Scott reignited his career following a move to Happy Valley in 2020, two years after being released by Manchester United. He claimed the Premier League players’ player of the year award, and after one season completed a transfer to Kitchee.
The 26-year-old was not in court to learn his old club’s fate, but was hopeful liquidators would discover assets to enable them to satisfy outstanding debts.
“It has been three years and all I want is my money,” Scott said. “I do not understand how they can pay some players, and not others. I want to save everyone’s time and effort, even if it means working out a deal that works for both parties.
“Happy Valley are a big team in Hong Kong, with a lot of history. The last thing I want is for them to fold and not be able to play under the same name, but I have no choice. I am sure anyone in my position would do all it takes to get the money they are owed.”
Happy Valley won the last of their six titles in 2006, but were plunged into crisis four years later when five players were arrested for plotting to fix a match against Fourway Rangers. Defender Yu Yang served 10 months in jail for offering Rangers defender Jean-Jacques Kilama cash to underperform.
In January 2014, Happy Valley were expelled from the top-flight after players were found to have rigged a game against Sun Hei, with Croatian midfielder Sasa Mus later sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Happy Valley subsequently plummeted to the Third Division, before three successive promotions sealed a Premier League return in 2019.
Owner Chen Zhishi’s businesses were reportedly hit by Covid, drying up cash supplies, and the club self-relegated in 2021. In May this year, Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency arrested 11 Happy Valley players and coach Chiu Kok-chiu on a range of match-fixing charges.
