Hong Kong Under-21 defender Iu Wai has admitted he attempted to bribe two team-mates to lose an international match against a Russia youth team, Wen Wei Po reports.
The 20-year-old stopper confessed at a local court that he offered Zhanxi Chen and Yuming Qiu $10,000 (€985) to help lose the match, which Russia won 2-1.
The duo turned down the offer and reported Iu Wai to the local authorities, who arrested the defender after the match.
Iu Wai stated he was approached by a man in a bar in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, who asked him to throw the match in return for cash.
He added that while he declined the money, he agreed to fix the match as he feared for his safety and that of his family.
The player’s attorney, Diane Crebbin, made a plea for his client to be given a lenient sentence as he did not take the money and the incident could ‘destroy his career’.
Iu Wai will learn his sentence on 30 December.