Three Macarthur players have been arrested for alleged betting corruption after police claimed they manipulated the number of yellow cards they received in matches.
Macarthur FC captain Ulises Davila and teammates Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus, were arrested and charged at police stations across Sydney on Friday, after the NSW Organised Crime Squad-led investigation.
NSW Police launched an investigation in December 2023 into the alleged yellow card manipulation at the A-League club.
Six months later, detectives have revealed that a “senior player” was allegedly taking instructions from a man – believed to be based in South America – to organise players taking yellow cards during matches for money.
Police say yellow cards were manipulated during games played on November 24 and December 9.
They also allege unsuccessful attempts were made to do the same thing during matches on April 20 and May 4.
Macarthur played out a 1-1 draw with Melbourne Victory on November 24 before beating Sydney FC 2-0 on December 9.
The team beat Sydney 1-0 on April 20 before being thrashed 4-0 by the Sky Blues on May 4.
Macarthur FC chief executive Sam Krslovic said the club was caught off-guard by the arrests but it would work with authorities.
“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,” he said in a statement.
Sports Integrity Australia said it acted on information from a UK agency working with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission on their investigation.
Football Australia said it was made aware of the arrests on Friday morning.
“FA is fully co-operating with the Organised Crime Squad, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Sport Integrity Australia and the NSW Crime Commission in this matter,” it said in a statement.
The Australian Professional Leagues, which runs the A-League competitions, also acknowledged the arrest as a result of “international law enforcement co-ordination”.
“The work to protect the integrity of our game must be unwavering and we are liaising closely with all relevant agencies on this matter,” it said in a statement.
Macarthur FC has been in the A-League Men’s competition since the 2020-21 season.
The team finished this regular season in fifth before being knocked out by Sydney FC in an elimination final.
