3 Footballers Charged with Match-Fixing in Hong Kong

^{Pictured: Hong Kong Footballer Brian Fok}

In Hong Kong, charges have been filed against four individuals who, between 2021 and 2023, were involved in orchestrating match-fixing schemes within local football leagues. Among them are three football players and an agent of an illegal bookie.

The mastermind behind the scam is believed to be Brian Fok, a Nigerian-born Hong Kong footballer who played for the Hong Kong Football Club in the HK Premier League. He allegedly tried to bribe his teammates to lose games on purpose, but they refused and reported him to the club.

Fok then switched teams and joined the Happy Valley Athletic Association in the second-tier division for the 2022/23 season. There, he teamed up with two other players, Luciano Silva da Silva from Central and Western, and To Chun-kiu from Sham Shui Po, and betting agent, Waheed Mohammad.

All four individuals are accused of organizing more than 30 instances of match-fixing.

The suspects are accused of not only losing games deliberately, but also betting on specific events in the games, such as the number of corners. The investigation found that Fok used secret signals to tell the agent when to place bets during the games.

The case is expected to take a long time to resolve, as the prosecution has asked the court for four months to conduct thorough investigations and consult with betting experts. The suspects have been released on bail until then.