Three A-League players arrested over alleged match-fixing
Three players in Australia’s top football league have been arrested on suspicion of match-fixing involving yellow cards.
Police in New South Wales detained three A-League players on Friday over alleged betting corruption and officers claim the players manipulated the number of bookings they received in matches last year.
The players have not been identified but investigators said all three are attached to a club based in Sydney.
Detectives said that a “senior player” was alleged to have been taking instructions from a man — believed to be based in South America — to organise players taking yellow cards during matches for money.
The suspicious yellow cards in question are during games played on Nov 24 and Dec 9 of last year. Police also allege that unsuccessful attempts were made during matches on April 20 and May 4.
Local media said police executed a search warrant in Sydney on Friday and arrested a 33-year-old man. Two other men, aged 32 and 27, were also arrested.
They were scheduled to appear in court later on Friday.
Police said the oldest of the trio is expected to be charged with two counts of engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event and two counts of facilitating conduct that corrupts a betting outcome.
The other two players are set to be charged with engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event.
Football Australia said in a statement that it has been “made aware of the arrests of three A-League men players” and “is fully cooperating with the Organised Crime Squad, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Sport Integrity Australia and the New South Wales Crime Commission in this matter”.
The A-League season is into the play-off stage, with two semifinals scheduled this weekend to determine which teams meet in the May 25 grand final.
The A-League men’s competition has 11 clubs based in Australia and one in New Zealand.
