- Three Macarthur Bulls players arrested in Sydney
- Accused of deliberately receiving yellow cards in matches
- Major bookmakers to provide evidence
Statements from a host of overseas bookmakers will form part of the case against a former A-League captain and his midfielders accused of masterminding a plan to manipulate yellow cards, a court heard.
Former Macarthur Bulls team captain Ulises Davila and midfielders Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis all appeared in court at Sydney’s Downing Centre on Thursday over alleged betting manipulation.
The former captain, who quit the club shortly after his arrest in May, allegedly acted as a link between players from the south-west Sydney team and an unnamed criminal organisation in Colombia.
He allegedly paid Baccus and Lewis up to $10,000 to deliberately obtain yellow cards through an illegal betting rigging.
Davila’s lawyer Kiki Kyriacou told the Downing Centre court on Thursday that prosecutors had still not served all the evidence on his client.
This included data from slot machines and statements from bookmakers from BetPlay Colombia, Bet365 New Jersey and Bet365 Bulgaria, the court was told.
Ulises Davila, centre, leaves court at Downing Centre after being charged over alleged betting fraud
Former Macarthur FC player Kearyn Baccus, right, arrives at Campbelltown District Court
Macarthur Bulls player Clayton Lewis is the third player to be charged over the allegations
Baccus’ lawyer Rose Cetin added that transcripts of audio conversations and a statement from the prosecutor in charge of the investigation are also missing.
Lewis and his lawyer Zemarai Khatiz appeared in a separate court at the complex, where they were told that police had handed the footballer 2,500 pages of evidence.
All three cases have been postponed until October 17.
According to police, the bet paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings and was controlled by the Colombian contact.
Investigators allege that yellow cards, typically given by referees as a warning for irregularities, were manipulated during the matches on November 24 and December 9.
Macarthur drew 1–1 with Melbourne Victory on 24 November and defeated Sydney FC 2–0 on 9 December.
All three accused players received yellow cards in the match against Sydney on December 9.
Police allege there were also unsuccessful attempts to do the same during matches on April 20 and May 4.
Baccus was cut by the Bulls in an offseason housecleaning exercise in 2024.