The Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) has demonstrated its on-going commitment to integrity by hosting a week-long integrity programme for players and officials across the territory.
The programme has been developed and run by HKFA partner, Sportradar, as part of their collaboration focused on educating and protecting players from potential match fixing approaches.
A total of 16 bespoke workshops were delivered to both Premier League and Division One Clubs in Hong Kong. A representative from Sportradar also presented to approximately 100 match officials at a HKFA Referee workshop that took place at Olympic House. The programme features unique and tailored educational and training workshops for players and officials, using interactive learning and real-life situations to highlight the potential risks and circumstances of match fixing. Each session was delivered in English and Cantonese, with the assistance of a translator.
HKFA CEO Mark Sutcliffe said, “As guardians of the game of football in Hong Kong, it’s vital that we remain proactive in doing what we can to ensure our players and match officials are provided with the knowledge to be able to avoid match fixing situations. This is where Sportradar’s training and expertise is crucial as the recognised leaders in sports integrity worldwide. We are particularly grateful to our clubs, especially those from the Premier League for a 100 per cent turnout.”
Sportradar’s Head of Education, Integrity Services, Danny Sears said: “We are really pleased to be able to deliver our integrity workshops to football representatives across Hong Kong. The programme is a positive and reassuring initiative designed to educate and protect those involved in the territory’s football whilst deterring future manipulations. Unfortunately, match fixing is already a reality in Hong Kong, as it is in the rest of the world, with one first division player sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment back in 2010 as well as more contemporary examples.”
The integrity education programmes are part of Sportradar’s world-leading Fraud Prevention Service (FPS), which incorporates a comprehensive suite of tools that can be tailored to meet the specific education and prevention needs of any federation, league or club. The bespoke suites can also include official certification and marketing support to educate and assure stakeholders.
