The Organised Crime Squad conducted an investigation under Strike Force Beaconview into allegations of betting corruption, which led to the arrest of three A-League players, including captain Ulises Davila.
A South American gambling ring bribed two younger players as much as AUD 10,000 ($6,600) to get yellow cards on purpose, according to the captain of Macarthur FC, an A-League club.
Members of the Macarthur squad, including captain Ulises Davila, Kearyn Baccus, and Clayton Lewis, were named. Friday afternoon saw the official charging and bailing of all three players. Davila’s court appearance is slated for June 24. The authorities have threatened to deport a fourth player who has not yet returned to the state of New South Wales to face interrogation since they still want to quiz him about the scam.
The investigation into the alleged manipulation of yellow cards began on November 24 and continued until December 9. On April 20 and May 4, investigators found no evidence of such manipulation. Throughout the regular season, Macarthur was sixth. The 33-year-old Davila was reportedly receiving orders from a guy in South America or offshore to arrange for yellow cards to be issued in certain games so that he could make a profit, according to investigations. The police will claim that Davila managed the amount of cautions handed out to players in two matches: one against Sydney FC on December 9 and another against Melbourne Victory on November 24.
Along with Keanu, another player detained was Kearyn Baccus, the brother of Socceroos star Clayton Lewis. According to the police, attempts to manipulate yellow cards were also unsuccessful during games on April 20 and May 4.
Investigative teams from the NSW Crime Commission, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Football Australia, Sports Integrity Australia, and the Organized Crime Squad are all collaborating on the ongoing investigations. Currently, no charges have been filed.
Davila, who is generally considered to be among the league’s top players, transferred to Macarthur from Wellington Phoenix, an A-League opponent, in 2021.
