Hong Kong police have arrested 12 people, including two top players and a coach, on suspicion of illegal match-fixing in Hong Kong's football games.
The arrests this week were linked to an operation codenamed “Green Grass” launched by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in May last year.
11 soccer players…
Hong Kong police have arrested 12 people, including two top players and a coach, on suspicion of illegal match-fixing in Hong Kong's football games.
The arrests this week were linked to an operation codenamed “Green Grass” launched by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in May last year.
Eleven footballers were initially arrested and further searches were carried out at more than 20 premises this week.
The allegations span three football seasons.
“Following investigations, the commission has arrested a further 12 individuals after it found that members of football clubs accepted match-fixing bribes to increase profits from illegal gambling,” ICAC said in a statement on Wednesday.
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“Those arrested include some of the ringleaders and key players in the plot.”
Those arrested this week were men aged between 24 and 54 and included the manager and two players from a Hong Kong Premier League club.
Lower-league soccer players and coaches were also arrested.
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“The two coaches arrested in the investigation are suspected of sending secret signals to football players to manipulate match outcomes, including the number of goals, corner kicks and match scores,” the ICAC said.
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