Officials from A-League club Macarthur FC reacted with shock after a trio of players including Mexican star and club captain Ulises Davila were arrested for alleged betting corruption after a NSW Police investigation.
Davila and teammates Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus, the brother of Socceroos star Keanu, were arrested after the NSW Organised Crime Squad-led investigation.
Dramatic vision of A League arrests | 01:39
Police say 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.
The men aged 27, 32 and 33 were charged on Friday afternoon after 6am raids at houses in South Coogee, Parramatta, West Hoxton, and Emu Plains were carried out on Friday morning.
Police will allege there were “multiple thousands of dollars paid out” as a result of the bets.
Davila, 33, who once played with English Premier League giants Chelsea, won the A-League’s highest honour, the Johnny Warren Medal in 2021 and recently signed a contract extension with Macarthur until the end of the 2025-26 season.
But he was a shock omission from the A-League All-Stars team named to take on EPL giants Newcastle United in Melbourne next week before news of his arrest emerged.
Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus were also arrested, with police expected to lay charges later on Friday.
“It’s extremely unfortunate that the (alleged) actions of only several people have severely damaged the integrity of a game that so many people around the world love and so many people are passionate about,” Mr Fitzgerald said at a press conference on Friday.
“They’ve brought down the integrity of not only themselves and the club that they played for but unfortunately the sport.”
“Betrayed the trust of their supporters” | 16:26
The arrests were made as part of an investigation into alleged betting corruption under Strike Force Beaconview, police said in the statement.
The police strike force was set up in December 2023, assisted by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission, to investigate alleged yellow card manipulation by players attached to a southwestern Sydney football club.
Lewis and Baccus are expected to be charged with engage in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event.
Davila is likely to face two charges of facilitates conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event.
Meanwhile, Football Australia confirmed on Friday night that it had issued no-fault stand down notices to three players.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson stated: “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.”
The number of yellow cards were allegedly manipulated during games played on Friday November 24, 2023 and Saturday, December 9, 2023.
Failed attempts were then allegedly made to control the number of yellow cards during games on Saturday, April 20, 2024 and Saturday, May 4, 2024.
A club statement read: “For obvious reasons and given the ongoing police investigation, the club is not in position to add anything.
“The club is shocked and aware of the arrests of three A-League players by NSW Police as a result of international law enforcement co-ordination focused on betting corruption related to alleged yellow card manipulation in games.
“Integrity of our game is a foundation pillar and we will work closely with all relevant agencies on this matter.
“The club will make further comment if and when is required.”
NSW Police assistant commissioner Michael Fitzgerald confirmed on Friday that police also wished to speak with a fourth Macarthur FC player in connection with the investigation.
That player is also expected to face charges.
“We are hoping that player returns to our state or we will be seeking his extradition,” Fitzgerald said.
Police will allege a senior player at Macarthur paid $10,000 to other players to manipulate the yellow cards.
“Whilst $10,000 may seem a lot of money to a young sportsperson, we will advise that is incredibly insignificant when you consider the damage that being charged with this offence and convicted will result in the damage to this persons reputation, damage to their club and codes reputation, their livelihood and their future livelihood and the effect of being involved in these criminal acts,” Fitzgerald said.
“But more importantly it affects the confidence and trust that their supporters have in these young sportspeople that they will always play to the best of their ability.
“We will allege that these incidents in November and December 2023 that these players betrayed the trust of their supporters and the code they supposedly love.”
A Football Australia spokesperson said the players were expected in court on Friday afternoon.
“Football Australia is fully co-operating with the Organised Crime Squad, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Sport Integrity Australia and the NSW Crime Commission in this matter,” the spokesperson said.
“Football Australia will provide no further comments at this stage as the investigation is ongoing.”
A-League governing body, the Australian Professional Leagues, said the integrity of the game must be protected.
“The work to protect the integrity of our game must be unwavering and we are liaising closely with all relevant agencies on this matter. Given the ongoing nature of the investigation and police enquiries we are unable to comment further at this time,” the APL said in a statement.
Second-leg matches of the A-League semi-finals are happening on Saturday; Macarthur FC did not make it to this late stage in the competition.
Source Agencies
