Former A-league Star ulises Dávila Admits to Orchestrating Card-Fixing Scheme
Sydney, Australia – Ulises Dávila, the former captain of Macarthur FC and a former Mexican youth international, has confessed to leading a scheme to deliberately receive yellow cards in A-League Men matches during the 2023-24 season, all to lucrative betting payouts. The shocking admission reveals a calculated effort to manipulate game outcomes for financial gain, casting a shadow over Australian soccer.
Dávila, 34, appeared in a Sydney court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to charges related to corrupting the outcome of betting. While initially facing eight charges, including leading a criminal group, prosecutors dropped these in favor of a guilty plea on the core offense.Sentencing is scheduled for December 19th.
The scheme centered around strategically earning yellow cards in matches to trigger pre-placed bets on the total number of cards received by Macarthur FC. Investigators focused on at least six games from the 2023-24 A-League Men season.
A notably revealing incident occurred during a December 9, 2023 match against Sydney FC. Dávila,along with teammates Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus,were all issued yellow cards in what appeared to be orchestrated infractions. Dávila was cautioned for delaying the game,Lewis for a push,and Baccus for a reckless challenge. Evidence presented to the court confirms bets were placed anticipating Macarthur would receive at least four cards in the match.
Authorities estimate the betting ring,operating through the Betplay site,generated profits exceeding $200,000. Dávila reportedly paid Lewis $10,000 and Baccus the same amount for their participation in the scheme. Both Lewis and Baccus have cooperated with the examination and are expected to face consequences for their involvement.
Dávila, who was named A-League Men Player of the Year in 2021, previously played for Chelsea’s youth system. This case marks a significant blow to the integrity of the A-League Men and raises serious questions about safeguarding against match manipulation in Australian soccer.
Keywords: Ulises Dávila,A-League Men,Macarthur FC,Clayton Lewis,Kearyn Baccus,match-fixing,card-fixing,betting scandal,soccer corruption,Australia,sports news.
