Soccer Players in Australia Receive Lengthy Bans For Fixing Matches

Football Australia has banned several A-League players after allegations and convictions related to match-fixing and gambling.

Banned for Fraud

Former Western United player Riku Danzaki has received a 7-year ban from all football-related activities.

Danzaki, a Japanese A-League player, along with his associate, Yuta Hirayama, an amateur player, were convicted and have been given a fine. Each received an AUD 5,000 fine.

They had been committing yellow card fraud, where Danzaki, a midfielder, would receive penalties intentionally so that he could guarantee the outcome of wagers placed on him by Hirayama. The amateur player has also received a 7-year ban for his involvement.

The bans came into effect on June 1, 2025, when the two players received no-fault interim suspensions.

The Yellow Card Bets

A minimum 4-year ban was given to former Macarthur players Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus.

Their sentencing dates back to May 17, 2024, when they received their no-fault interim suspensions.

Both players avoided convictions after they received two-year conditional release orders, where they agreed to play football for 200 hours with no pay.

They were shown leniency after both plead guilty to charges of engaging in conduct that corrupts betting outcomes.

The duo revealed that former Macarthur captain Ulises Davila had paid both AUD 10,000.

The two admitted that in December 2023, they had intentionally gotten yellow cards at a match.

The players who have been banned by Football Australia (Hirayama, Danzaki, Lewis, and Baccus) have decided not to appeal their sentences.

International Footballers

In October, Davila himself pleaded guilty to match-fixing. He is yet to receive a sentencing. These aren’t the only players this year who have received bans from football.

Earlier in 2025, Maltese International Samir Arab shared that he had refused to be bribed to fix a match; however, he had still received a 2-year ban.

He had willingly testified and volunteered to appear in court. In a related case, several players from Malaysia received 1-year bans and $2,500 in fines.