Soccer players in Australia charged over alleged transnational betting plot
By Chris Lau and Angus Watson, CNN
Sydney (CNN) — Three players from Australia’s top soccer league have been arrested and charged over an alleged betting scam, accused of deliberately getting yellow cards and giving away penalties at the behest of a South American criminal.
A senior A-League player allegedly took instructions from the mastermind and arranged the infractions with teammates in designated games last year, according to New South Wales Police. Those arrested have not yet been named by police.
Junior players would get 10,000 Australian dollars ($6,666) for getting yellow cards and conceding penalties in those games to influence results, assistant police commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said during a press conference on Friday.
He said the alleged crimes happened in November and December last year, adding that “these players betrayed the trust of their supporters.”
Three players, age 27, 32, and 33, are set to appear in court later this month and next month, facing charges relating to “conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event.” Authorities are after a fourth player, who is currently out of state, for questioning, they added.
Investigators have not disclosed the players’ team, but said they are attached to a club in Sydney’s south-west. Three out of 12 teams in the league are based in Sydney, but only Macarthur FC hails from south-western side of the city.
Macarthur said in a statement: “The club is shocked and aware of the arrests of three A-League players by NSW Police as a result of international law enforcement coordination focused on betting corruption related to alleged yellow card manipulation in games.”
It added that it could not comment “for obvious reasons and given the ongoing police investigation,” but will work closely with authorities on the matter.
Detective Superintendent Peter Faux said police have found no indication that the senior player involved had been threatened. Nor did they find evidence that players from other teams may have been complicit, he said.
He said the bets were placed offshore, predominantly in South America, with no trace that betting has come from Australia.
The league said in a statement that it was aware of the arrests. “The work to protect the integrity of our game must be unwavering and we are liaising closely with all relevant agencies on this matter,” it said.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
