Jun 23, 2024, 11:14 PM ET
The Mexican appeared before the law in Australia for alleged participation as a ringleader in an illegal fraud scheme
The Mexican Ulises Dávilacaptain of Macarthur FC in the Australian league, appeared in court for the first time over allegations that he acted as the alleged ringleader in an illegal bet-fixing scheme.
The 33-year-old has been accused of paying up to 10,000 Australian dollars (6631.8 USD) to two midfielders from the A-League club, Kearyn Baccus32 years old, and Clayton Lewis27, to deliberately receive yellow cards.
Australian police say the betting scheme netted hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings and was headed by a South American connection.
Ulises Dávila, a product of Chelsea’s academy, made his first appearance at Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court on Monday. In case of Baccus It was also mentioned in his absence, after the midfielder appeared in court in May. The court heard that prosecutors will submit a brief of evidence to the players’ lawyers by August 22. The court also modified the bail conditions of Davila, requiring him to report to the Maroubra police station only one day a week instead of two. Lewis will have his turn in court on June 27.
Investigators allege that the yellow cards were tampered with during matches played on November 24 and December 9; Macarthur drew 1-1 with Melbourne Victory on 24 November before beating Sydney FC. 2-0 on December 9. All three accused players were booked in the December 9 match against Sydney. Police also allege that unsuccessful attempts were made to do the same during the April 20 and May 4 matches.
Football Australia subsequently sacked the trio of players and issued them with interim no-fault suspension notices under its code of conduct. Both Baccus and another player involved in the betting scandal, Matthew Millar, were recently released by the Bulls during an offseason cleanup. Millar was named in court documents as one of those involved in the alleged criminal group behind the alleged gambling arrangement scheme, but has not been charged. Dávila and Lewis remained contracted with the club after their teammates’ announcement in early June.
