Premier League footballer urges Hong Kong to legalise betting after clubs quit

The 22-year-old is in the final stages of securing a contract with another HKPL club for next season and said the uncertainty around football in the city made playing professionally “a difficult way to live”.

In his one season with RCFC, Lam managed to impress amid a turbulent campaign for the league’s bottom club.

“I heard [about self-relegation] from the newspapers, and was shocked,” Lam said. “I am upset for the club.

“I did not know anything about the situation. It is really hard for players when you are only hearing rumours. Unless you play for one of the main clubs, you sign one-year contracts, so never know what will happen next season.”

Lam joined RCFC from the now-defunct HKU23. The young team, which folded after three years, had a dire HKPL record, winning two and losing 35 of 42 matches, while conceding 154 goals and scoring 21.

Operated under the auspices of the local football association, they nonetheless provided a professional environment for players. Lam was “surprised” by the drop-off when he switched to RCFC for a “bigger challenge”.

“With HKU23, you had everything: access to the gym, ice baths, protein shakes – it was just difficult with the lack of quality players,” Lam said.

“I went to RCFC to progress, but didn’t get the same level of professionalism.

“The training equipment was not so good, and there were no GPS monitors to check running distances and intensity. The players agreed the standard was not professional, but we had to show our best side and fight in every game.”

A Hong Kong under-23 international, Lam remained grateful to RCFC for “giving me the opportunity to show myself”, and said being a senior player in a young squad aided his development.

“You want to perform in front of fans, our league is not competitive as others, and the culture is not the same,” said Lam, whose brother, Jordan, made his senior Hong Kong debut this year.

“In Japan, Korea and China, players earn a lot of respect. In Hong Kong, people see you as a football player. In those other countries, you are a football star.

“But I appreciated the RCFC fans who came to every match, they were amazing.”

Lam said it would be difficult for the local league to “capture attention” while betting is outlawed. He said he could not blame authorities for the ban, in light of repeated match-fixing scandals, but insisted that gambling on the game “makes it more exciting”.

The government’s Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, which is responsible for gambling laws, has told the Post betting remained illegal “to prevent match-fixing” and because there was not “a large and persistent demand for betting on such matches”.

Lam said the recent rush of local players to mainland China provided encouragement for their compatriots living off the low salaries typically paid in Hong Kong football.

“I have to work hard to go where I can earn good money,” he said. “Players going to mainland China shows the world there are good footballers in Hong Kong. It is more professional in other countries, with better salaries, and I always want to play at a higher level. My dream is to play for the Hong Kong representative team.”