Three A-League players charged over alleged betting corruption

NSW Police have charged three players from A-League side Macarthur FC on suspicion of betting corruption after allegedly manipulating yellow cards.

The trio - Ulises Dávila, Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis - are alleged to have taken instructions from an "organised crime figure currently offshore in South America", to organise for yellow cards to occur during games in exchange for money in late 2023.

While NSW Police did not initially name the players arrested today, they have been identified in subsequent media report.

Following their arrests they have been immediately suspended by Football Australia.

In a statement Macarthur FC advised that it is "shocked and aware" of the arrests, adding “integrity of our game is a foundation pillar and we will work closely with all relevant agencies on this matter.”

NSW Police said they began an investigation - Strike Force Beaconview - in December 2023, assisted by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission, advising “(our) investigations revealed a senior player was allegedly taking instructions from a man - believed to be offshore in South America - to organise for yellow cards to occur during certain games in exchange for profit.”

Macarthur captain Dávila is the alleged “senior player” involved in the scheme. He has been charged with two counts of engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event, two counts of facilitating in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event and participating in a criminal group.

He has been bailed to appear in court on 24th June.

The other players have been charged with engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event and participating in a criminal group. They have been bailed to appear in court on 27th June and 30the May respectively.

Police say a fourth player is expected to be charged when tracked down, adding that organised crime squad detectives were working with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), Sports Integrity Australia, Football Australia, Australian Professional Leagues (APL) and the NSW Crime Commission as inquiries continued.

It is alleged Dávila paid the other players up to $10,000 to intentionally receive yellow cards.

NSW Police state crime commander Assistant Commissioner Mike Fitzgerald added “whilst $10,000 may seem like a lot of money to a young sports person, we will advise that is incredibly insignificant when you consider the damage to this young person's reputation, damage to their club and their code's reputation.”

In response, the APL, the governing body for the A-Leagues the A-League, commented "the APL is aware of the arrests of three A-League players by NSW Police as a result of international law enforcement coordination focused on betting corruption related to alleged yellow card manipulation in games.

"The work to protect the integrity of our game must be unwavering and we are liaising closely with all relevant agencies on this matter."

Football Australia Chief Executive, James Johnson went on to say "this is very troubling news for the Australian football community and beyond.

"The conduct that has been alleged has no place in our game. We will do everything we can to get to the bottom of it and no stone will be left unturned.

"The integrity of football in Australia is paramount, and we will not tolerate any actions that compromise it.

"We will work closely with the NSW Police and other law enforcement agencies to assist them in their investigation."

Sport Integrity Australia added “SIA and ACIC acted on information provided by a UK agency and worked with relevant Australian bodies resulting in a referral to NSW Police.”