Former scoccer team captain pleads guilty to match-fixing charges in Australia

Sydney, Oct 9: A former club captain who was honoured as the A-League’s player of the year has admitted his role in a lucrative match-fixing scheme and pleaded guilty to the charges in an Australian court on Thursday.
Ulises Davila, 34, was accused of being the ringleader of the betting scheme which involved him and two Macarthur Bulls teammates deliberately earning yellow cards to help guarantee a betting outcome.
The charges related to six games in Australia’s top-flight soccer competition across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.The former Macarthur FC captain pleaded guilty to facilitating and engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event.Eight charges against him, including that he directed and participated in a criminal group, were withdrawn by prosecutors in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court.Davila is due to be sentenced December 19.During a match on December 9, 2023 against Sydney FC, Davila and his teammates Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus were handed yellow cards.
Davila was cautioned for delaying play by kicking the ball away, Lewis was carded or pushing an opponent in the chest, and Baccus was punished for a poor tackle.
Bets had been placed on the Macathur team receiving at least four cards during the game, according to facts agreed to by Davila’s teammates.
Winning payouts for the bets placed through a gambling site totaled more than 200,000 Australian dollars (USD 132,000). Davila paid Lewis and Baccus AUD 10,000 (USD 6,600) each for their roles in the betting scam, the teammates said.
Lewis and Baccus were handed good-behavior bonds and escaped conviction in September, with the magistrate finding the pair were “right at the bottom of the scheme.” (AP)