Two more players caught up in alleged A-League bet-fixing scandal
Two more A-League players have been named as participants in an alleged bet-fixing scheme involving their Macarthur FC teammates.
Matthew Millar and Jed Drew are accused of participating in a criminal group that also allegedly involved three charged players, club captain Ulises Davila and teammates Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus.
Their identities were revealed in documents on Thursday as midfielder Baccus, 32, became the first of the trio to face court over the alleged plot to receive yellow cards in return for payment.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Neither Millar nor Drew have been charged, however police previously said they were looking for another Macarthur player who was not in NSW at the time of the mid-May arrests.
Davila, 33, was arrested and charged after allegedly paying Baccus and Lewis, 27, to deliberately receive yellow cards in a scheme NSW police said led to hundreds of thousands of dollars being paid out in winnings.
All three are on bail.
Police on Thursday said their investigations into the alleged bet-fixing syndicate continued.
Macarthur FC has been contacted for comment.
Baccus appeared at Campbelltown Local Court on Thursday but did not speak during the brief mention and did not indicate how he would plead when questioned outside court.
His lawyer Bryan Wrench told the court the competitive nature of A-League matches should be taken into account when considering the case.
“It was circumstances where he was a highly competitive, aggressive player,” he said.
Baccus’s case was adjourned until June 24, when he is due to appear at Downing Centre Local Court alongside Davila.
Investigators allege yellow cards, which are universally issued as cautions by referees for foul play, were manipulated during games played on November 24 and December 9.
Macarthur played out a 1-1 draw with Melbourne Victory on November 24 before beating Sydney FC 2-0 on December 9.
All three accused players were booked in the December 9 game against Sydney.
Investigators also allege unsuccessful attempts were made to do the same thing during matches on April 20 and May 4.
Football Australia subsequently stood down the trio, hitting them with no-fault interim suspension notices under their code of conduct.
