Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and police announced on the 26th that they have cracked down on a criminal syndicate involved in match-fixing, arresting 19 people, including football coaches and players.
Authorities stated that the syndicate had been operating for 2 to 3 years. They manipulated local teams to fix matches and illegally accepted bets on World Cup games, with gambling sums exceeding HK$6 million (about RM3.15 million).
According to disclosures, the ICAC and police carried out a joint operation recently and uncovered the syndicate. Those arrested include its mastermind, two football coaches, and four players from first-division teams.
The ICAC pointed out that the syndicate was run by individuals in the local football scene, who accepted bets on both local and World Cup matches and profited by manipulating local players to fix games.
The ICAC said that as the World Cup is still ongoing, illegal gambling activities are expected to increase accordingly.