3 football players caught up in Hong Kong match-fixing probe charged over illegal gambling, bribery
- Trio, betting agent allegedly conspired with others to ensure Happy Valley club lost certain number of matches between 2022 and 2023
- Defender Brian Fok charged over attempting to bribe two teammates and working with others to rig games
Three footballers linked to Hong Kong’s biggest match-fixing scheme in recent years have appeared in court over charges of illegal gambling, with one being accused of offering bribes of HK$50,000 (US$6,400) to two players to rig games in the city’s top league.
The trio, together with a betting agent involved in the same case, on Thursday secured bail in their first appearance before a magistrate at Eastern Court, as prosecutors asked for a four-month period for further investigations.
Among the defendants is former Hong Kong Under-23 player Brian Fok. He was hit with five charges, including three over offering an advantage to an agent in violation of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
The Nigerian-born defender, 29, allegedly attempted to bribe two of his then teammates at Hong Kong Football Club to ensure a predetermined outcome in games involving the team, which competed in the city’s Premier League during the 2021-22 season.
Brazilian midfielder Jean Maciel was reportedly offered a total of HK$40,000 on two occasions, while Scottish player Marcus McMillan was said to have received an offer of HK$10,000. Both declined the inducements.
After moving to first-division side Happy Valley Athletic Association the following season, Fok allegedly worked with fellow players Luciano Silva da Silva, 36, and To Chun-kiu 29, and betting agent Waheed Mohammad, 27, to rig an unspecified number of matches in the second-tier competition.
Brazilian Luciano was at the time a defender at first division club Central and Western District Recreation and Sports Association, while To played as a goalkeeper for Sham Shui Po Sports Association in the top-tier league.
One joint count of conspiracy to cheat at gambling alleges the four conspired with others, including a betting agent named Kartik Srivastava, to ensure Happy Valley lost a certain number of games between 2022 and 2023 by “manipulating the number of goals and/or corner kicks” so they could win big with illegal bookmakers.
Another count of the same conspiracy offence targets Fok, Luciano and Mohammad, who allegedly plotted to rig the games involving Central and Western District during the same season.
A spokesman for the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) alleged To had worked as a betting agent for illegal gambling websites during the period in question.
“ICAC inquiries revealed that the four defendants placed bets in a total of over 30 matches played by [Happy Valley] and [Central and Western] in the 2022-23 season, during which Fok had given live signals at matches to the betting agents concerned for placing bets,” the ICAC said.
Prosecutors on Thursday asked for an adjournment for ICAC investigators to analyse digital evidence related to the case, including more than 2,000 text messages retrieved from the defendants’ mobile devices.
They also needed time to obtain advice from betting experts, the court heard.
Principal Magistrate Ivy Chui Yee-mei released Fok on a HK$20,000 bond and set the bail money for the rest at HK$10,000 each.
She barred them from leaving Hong Kong and contacting any of the 21 prosecution witnesses, and ordered them to surrender their travel documents and report any change in residential address to authorities.
The four are expected to return to court in late June.
The anti-corruption watchdog arrested 23 people in May last year after a bribery complaint led to the discovery of an alleged match-fixing scheme orchestrated by a bookmaking syndicate.
Twelve detainees, including a coach and 11 players, were from Happy Valley, which finished 10th in the 14-team division, conceding 84 goals and drawing or losing 18 of the 26 games they played last season.
The ICAC spokesman did not rule out further arrests as the investigation continued.
