Explainer | What is match fixing, what can you bet on in football, and when has it happened before in Hong Kong?
- Arrests in Hong Kong have turned the spotlight on illegal gambling and match fixing in football, but it has been uncovered in the city before
- Alongside legal measures, football has global rules prohibiting betting activities by players, coaches, club officials, referees and their intermediaries
Over the past decade, more than 30 players, coaches and others have now been accused, charged or convicted of taking bribes and trying to organise a predetermined outcome for games.
But what does match fixing involve, how money can be made and who has been caught in the past?
What is match-fixing?
In the simplest terms, match-fixing is when players, coaches or officials conspire to ensure a game finishes a certain way, be that a win, draw or loss for one team or another.
But gambling on football has progressed far beyond that, and punters can now bet on everything from when goals will be scored, the margin of defeat or victory, the number of yellow or red cards, which player scores first and even the number of corners in a game.
Bookmakers will offer odds on just about anything, and would probably allow someone to bet on the total number of studs in the boots of players on the pitch if they thought they could get away with it.
What rules govern players, coaches and officials?
Fifa, the game’s global governing body, says players, coaches, club officials, referees, agents and intermediaries are banned from “taking part in, either directly or indirectly, betting, gambling, lotteries or similar events or transactions related to football matches or competitions and/or any related football activities”.
Those involved in the game are also prohibited from having any interest in betting or gambling companies connected with football, and breaking the rules can result in being banned for several years as well as being hit with hefty fines.