Letters | Match-fixing brings shame to Hong Kong football, once the pride of the city
- Readers discuss the arrest of 23 people in an ICAC crackdown, the contractual obligations of those who employ domestic helpers, and Hong Kong banks’ overreliance on mortgage income
Over half a century ago, Hong Kong football had a great reputation in Asia. In 1956, the city was the first host of the AFC Asian Cup and Hong Kong finished third.
In recent years, Hong Kong football has been on a downward spiral. Even so, a few diehard fans would still turn up for key local matches at Mong Kok Stadium.
Unlike places like Brazil and England, Hong Kong is not filled with talented and passionate players. So I don’t expect the local teams to play at world standards. What is important is the sporting spirit.
In my view, moral values are more important than performance on the field. By cheating and manipulating the match result, these footballers bring shame to themselves and Hong Kong football. Fans were treated like suckers, brought to the stadium to see them acting like Oscar-winning movie stars.
If these players and the coach are eventually found guilty, they must be seriously punished to deter others from making the same mistake. There must be zero tolerance for predetermined soccer results, for the protection of Hong Kong soccer and to stop the further downward spiral of football standards.
Randy Lee, Ma On Shan
To be fair, employers must also honour contract terms
In my experience, many domestic helpers have employers who breach their contract on a regular basis, mostly over rest days.
To all employers of domestic helpers, I would point out the following: if you do not give your helper a 24-hour rest day every week, you are in breach of contract. A rest day does not mean 11am to 6pm, it means a full, unbroken period of 24 hours. Further, if you insist that your helper must work on statutory holidays against her wishes, even if you pay her, you are in breach of contract.
If you insist on any of these things but think your helper doesn’t mind, you are fooling yourself. Of course your helper minds, but is unable to say so, because she knows that if she complains she will get nowhere and may even lose her job.
I doubt employers who treat their helpers in this way would be happy if their own employers arbitrarily removed part of their own holiday entitlement. In fact, they would probably start looking for another job right away, with an employer who is willing to abide by the employment contract. Yet this fundamental right to change employers, when exercised by a domestic helper, is pejoratively referred to as “job hopping”.
Yet now it seems further discrimination is happening. Why is job hopping perfectly acceptable for everyone in Hong Kong apart from domestic helpers? Why is it only incumbent on domestic helpers to adhere exactly to the terms of their contract, but not their employers? Why the discrimination and double standards?
James Webster, Wan Chai
Hong Kong banks must look beyond property for income
Banks need to look for other ways to make money because the property market is in a global valuation reset. Globally, asset prices have adjusted to higher interest rates and Hong Kong property prices will no longer skyrocket like they did over the decades.
I think banks need to discount future prospects of real estate income and focus on other lending income. The zero interest rate environment is gone, at least for the foreseeable future.
Rishi Teckchandani, Mid-Levels
