Two former players from the A-League, Ulises Davila and midfielders Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis, have confessed to participating in a betting scandal, reportedly receiving payments to deliberately earn yellow cards during games. The trio, who played for Macarthur FC, faces charges of tampering with match outcomes by accumulating yellow cards in 2023 and 2024.
Davila, the 33-year-old captain of Macarthur, is accused of facilitating the arrangement between the club’s players and a Colombian criminal syndicate, orchestrating the bookings for specific matches. Baccus and Lewis, both aged 33 and 27 respectively, allegedly received as much as $10,000 from Davila for intentionally earning these cautions.
In a recent court appearance, both midfielders pleaded guilty to actions that compromise the integrity of betting outcomes but had a second charge of being part of a criminal group dropped. Lewis initially plead not guilty to both charges but later changed his plea regarding one after negotiations with prosecutors. The two maintained neutral expressions as their pleas were submitted.
Sentencing for the players is slated for September. Meanwhile, Davila has not yet entered pleas for the nine charges against him and is expected to appear in court again in August. The authorities are gathering extensive evidence for the case, including gaming machine records and statements from various bookmakers such as BetPlay Colombia and Bet365.
Police spokespersons indicate that the betting scheme has resulted in payouts amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings. Following his arrest, Davila’s contract with Macarthur FC was mutually terminated, while Baccus was let go in a clean-out during the off-season of 2024 and Lewis remains under suspension.
For those seeking help or information regarding gambling issues, resources such as the National Gambling Helpline (1800 858 858) are available.