A Hong Kong court has sentenced two soccer players and a betting agent to prison terms of up to 17 months for bribery, match-fixing, and illegal gambling in a prominent sports scandal. The defendants are Brian Fok, Luciano Silva Da Silva, and betting agent Waheed Mohammad.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), which led the investigation, said in a statement that the trio schemed to fix results during the 2022–23 season in order to profit from illegal gambling.

The court heard that their actions included intentionally causing Fok’s team, Happy Valley Athletic Association, and Silva Da Silva’s team, Central and Western District Recreation and Sports Association, to lose matches. Prosecutors also said they manipulated match outcomes by fraudulently affecting elements such as the number of goals or corner kicks while operating in the league’s second tier.

The ICAC said the trio also placed illegal bets on more than 30 matches involving their teams, based on pre-determined results and match-fixing arrangements. The court further heard that Fok had previously offered bribes ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $1,276 to $3,828) to two other players at a club in another league to help rig results, but those players rejected his offers.

Sentencing was delivered by Magistrate Peter Yu, who reprimanded the defendants for deliberately manipulating matches and undermining the integrity of Hong Kong sports and the principle of fair play. Fok received a 17-month prison term, while the two co-defendants were each sentenced to 14 months and four weeks.