The country of Hong Kong is reeling from a betting scandal after three men, including a notable former national player, were convicted of bribing to alter the outcome of football matches.
Former Hong Kong Under-23 player Brian Fok, 32, fellow player Luciano Silva da Silva, 38, and football agent Waheed Mohammad, 29, were each found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to cheat at gambling.
Fok was also convicted of three counts of offering an advantage to an agent, which is in violation of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. Hong Kong’s primary anti-corruption legislation enforced by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).
Prosecution witnesses found to be credible by magistrate Peter Yu Chun-cheung
All three remanded in custody, with one further individual, 31-year-old footballer To Chun-kiu, acquitted of all charges. The sentencing hearing is set for May 29.
Much of the case revolved around the testimony of two prosecution witnesses in Jean Maciel and Marcus McMillan, both of whom attested to Fok approaching them with the opportunity to make money by intentionally losing football matches back in 2021. Each were playing with Hong Kong Football Club (HKFC) at that time.
Maciel was offered HK$10,000 (US$1,280) per match, an amount that was later increased to HK$30,000, but he turned down both proposals.
Fok made a similar approach to McMillan, but it was rejected. He later offered McMillan HK$10,000 to deliberately lose a match in November 2021, though McMillan declined once again.
Fok turned his attention to da Silva, who played for Central and Western District Recreation and Sports Association (C&W), and the agent Mohammad. He agreed to manipulate the number of goals or corner kicks in first division matches in the 2022-2023 season.
In mitigation, Fok’s counsel Simon So Shun-yan said the case had effectively ended Fok’s football career and placed him under considerable financial strain because of the prolonged legal proceedings.
So told the court that Fok had since moved into industries unrelated to football, making it unlikely he would reoffend in a similar manner. He urged the court to consider imposing a community service order instead of a custodial sentence. Magistrate Yu, however, said a prison term was unavoidable.
Thousands of dollars in illicit bets placed
An investigation by ICAC found that the three defendants wagered tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars on more than 30 matches involving the HVAA and C&W football clubs through an alleged match-fixing scheme tied to prearranged outcomes.
According to investigators, Fok relayed real-time updates from the matches to betting agents watching from the stands, allowing accomplices to place bets based on developments during the games.
The ICAC said in a statement that safeguarding the integrity of sports in Hong Kong has remained a priority for the agency, which combats corruption through enforcement, preventive measures and public education.
The commission said it introduced an Integrity and Corruption Prevention Guide for national sports associations in 2024 aimed at strengthening governance standards and internal oversight within local sports bodies.
The guidelines address ethical and management standards for athletes, coaches and other participants, while also promoting the use of technology to improve fairness and transparency in sporting events.
Following issues uncovered during the investigation, the ICAC said it had also reviewed the code of conduct and related procedures used by the Football Association of Hong Kong, China.
Case follows 2025 operation Tenacity in Hong Kong
Last year,the ICAC revealed four men, including the owner of a local football club and an alleged illegal bookmaker, were charged over a suspected match-fixing and illegal gambling scheme linked to the city’s Second Division league.
The defendants were accused of paying more than HK$240,000 in bribes to football players in an effort to manipulate matches during the 2021-22 season. Authorities alleged the scheme involved Fu Moon Athletic Association, a club competing in the Hong Kong Second Division at the time.
Investigators alleged the group took control of the club to support an illegal gambling operation and used secret signals during matches to coordinate fixed outcomes. The ICAC said seven of Fu Moon’s 12 league matches, along with four cup games, were suspected of being manipulated.
The four defendants face conspiracy and fraud-related charges, including allegations they attempted to deceive the Football Association of Hong Kong, China by arranging predetermined results in matches involving the club.
Both cases have raised concerns about the integrity of football in Hong Kong because investigators alleged that players, club officials and illegal bookmakers worked together over multiple seasons to manipulate matches tied to gambling syndicates.
The scandals have also increased pressure on the Football Association of Hong Kong, China to strengthen governance and restore public confidence in the fairness of local competitions.
However, despite high-profile cases of match-fixing emerging in recent months, a report from Sportradar suggests global match manipulation remains on a downward trend. The technology company said its 2025 integrity report found suspected match-fixing cases in professional sports worldwide fell 1% from a year earlier, with 99.5% of monitored events showing no signs of suspicious activity.
