Australian A-League Soccer Players Guilty of Spot-Fixing Receive Good Behavior Bonds

Two former Macarthur Bulls players, Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis, avoided prison for their involvement in a betting scandal.

Baccus and Lewis will serve a two-year conditional release order, similar to a good behavior bond, following sentencing in Sydney on Wednesday.

The two players accepted payments of AU$10,000 ($6,600) to deliberately receive yellow cards in a betting scam. The players must also repay the money they received in December 2023 as a fine.

Both players pleaded guilty to the charges of engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event. This follows two Japanese A-League players pleading guilty to the same crime in August. Riku Danzaki and Yuta Hirayama pleaded guilty to seven charges of betting corruption.

Actions Deemed Not Serious

Danzaki collaborated with Hirayama, who placed bets on the Western United player to pick up the bookings. The Macarthur case runs deeper, with others yet to be prosecuted in the case.

Magistrate Michael Blair described Baccus and Lewis’ offenses as “at the low end of the spectrum of objective seriousness.” There was no evidence that Lewis or Baccus had any knowledge of the wagers being placed on their actions or even how much they would be paid.

Blair also cited psychological reports provided by Lewis’s defense showing he has been diagnosed with a gambling addiction, major depressive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder from his arrest.

Scheme Orchestrated by Macarthur Captain

Former Macarthur Bulls captain Ulises Davila reportedly orchestrated the scheme. Davila reportedly targeted Lewis in the scam due to his known weakness for gambling.

All three players were cautioned in a Macarthur game against Sydney FC on Dec. 9, 2023, when bets were placed on Macarthur to receive at least four yellow cards.

Davila was booked for delaying play by kicking the ball away, Lewis was cautioned for pushing an opponent in the chest, and Baccus earned his yellow for a poor tackle on a Sydney player. Macarthur ended the game with five yellow cards, while their Sydney opponents had zero.

Davila is accused of conspiring with a Colombian criminal known as “J Col.” Bets were placed in South America that led to payouts of over $100,000.

The Mexican midfielder won the A-League player of the year award in the 2020-21 season. The 34-year-old was nearing the end of a 15-year career, which included spells in the English Premier League, Dutch Eredivisie, and Indian Super League.

Davila is yet to enter a plea and faces nine charges when appearing in court on Thursday. He is likely to face a much more substantial penalty if convicted.

Following the scandal, Macarthur sacked the players.