Sydney, Sep 24 (AP/PTI): Two former A-League soccer players, Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis, have been handed two-year conditional release orders — equivalent to good-behavior bonds — for deliberately earning yellow cards as part of a betting scam.
The ex-Macarthur Bulls players were each paid 10,000 Australian dollars ($6,600) to pick up cautions during a December 2023 match against Sydney FC. They were also ordered to repay the money as a fine.
At Sydney’s Central Local Court, magistrate Michael Blair said the players were “right at the bottom of the scheme,” which was allegedly masterminded by their then-captain Ulises Davila. Baccus, 33, and Lewis, 27, pleaded guilty to engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event. Blair noted they appeared genuinely remorseful, adding that while their actions were reckless, there was no evidence they understood the wagers being placed or the scale of the payouts.
During the match, bets had been placed in South America on Macarthur receiving at least four yellow cards, yielding more than $100,000 in winnings. Davila, Lewis, and Baccus were all booked during the game — Davila for delaying play, Lewis for pushing an opponent, and Baccus for a poor tackle.
All three were suspended by Macarthur FC following their arrests. Davila, accused of linking the players with a Colombian criminal known as “J Col,” faces nine charges and is due in court on Thursday. Before his arrest, Davila had won the A-League’s Best Player award in the 2020–21 season.
Baccus and Lewis, both now out of contract, are rebuilding their lives, with Baccus reportedly working as a truck driver.