As AFC tries to clamp down on match-fixing, cheats Ninh Binh play on against Kitchee
Hong Kong league champions out to eliminate Vietnamese opponents, whose players admitted to match-fixing
A day after the Asian Football Confederation told regional FAs to appoint integrity officers to tackle corruption and match- fixing in the region, Hong Kong's last remaining team in the AFC Cup were drawn to face scandal-plagued Vietnamese side Vissai Ninh Binh.
Ninh Binh are still competing in the regional tournament - despite being expelled from the Vietnam domestic league after players admitted being paid to fix a match - which leaves the AFC open to accusations of inaction.
While Kitchee hope to finally end the Vietnamese team's participation at the quarter-final stage, in the top-tier Champions League, title-holders Guangzhou Evergrande will fancy their chances against first-time qualifiers Western Sydney Wanderers in the Champions League.
If we can get through both rounds, we will have the advantage of playing the final at home
Ninh Binh have played two more matches since the fixing scandal, and Kitchee boss Ken Ng Kin played down the controversy, insisting: "It's a pretty good draw.
"It means we can stay in the Far East for the last eight without travelling to Middle East or making a very difficult trip to Indonesia.
"And if we can overcome the Vietnamese, we may face another Vietnam team, Hanoi T&T, who meet Erbil of Iraq in the other quarter-final [in Kitchee's half of the draw].
"Our target is to overcome Ninh Binh first and then we would love to meet another Vietnamese team rather than travelling to the Middle East. If we can get through both rounds, we will have the advantage of playing the final at home."