Two More Players Involved in Alleged A-League Bet Fixing Scandal

According to the Associated Press, court documents shown in Campbell Town Court on May 30 have deemed Matthew Millar and Jed Drew as part of the investigation into a criminal group tied to bet fixing, an issue affecting many sports.

The two A-League players were allegedly participants in the scheme that involved three of their Macarthur FC teammates.

The Alleged Yellow Cards Scheme

Millar and Drew are accused of participating in a plot to deliberately receive yellow cards in exchange for money alongside club captain Ulises Davila and teammates Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus.

The investigation that received the Strike Force Beaconview name was formed by the New South Wales State Crime Command’s Organised Crime Squad Gaming Unit in December 2023 with help from Great Britain’s Gambling Commission.

The investigation concluded that Davila allegedly took instructions on how to organize yellow cards in certain periods of fixtures to obtain a profit from an individual in South America. 

The club captain then allegedly paid Lewis and Baccus A$10,000 ($6,623) each to purposefully receive yellow cards during matches played on November 24, 2023 and December 9, 2023. 

The second fixture saw all three players charged pick-up bookings. 

Two additional failed attempts to control the number of yellow cards shown during fixtures that took place on April 20, 2024, and May 4, 2024 followed. 

Baccus, First to Appear in Court 

The identities of the two new players were revealed as midfielder Baccus became the first of the trio charged by the New South Wales Organised Crime Squad to make an appearance in the Sydney court over the alleged scheme. 

Millar and Drew have not been charged with anything by the Australian police as of now. 

Nonetheless, police authorities have previously explained they were searching for another Macarthur player who was not in New South Wales at the time of the arrests that took place in mid-May.

Davila was put under arrest and charged after he allegedly paid Baccus and Lewis to intentionally receive yellow cards in the plot that police claim triggered hundreds of thousands of dollars to be paid out in sports betting winnings.

Drew Is Not a Suspect

In the statement released by Football Australia concerning the development, it was made clear that, despite being named in court proceedings, Drew, the son of former NRL hooker Brad Drew who played for Penrith, Parramatta, and Canberra before ending his career at Huddersfield was not deemed a suspect.

The statement explained that, following the court appearance of Baccus, the governing body for soccer in Australia acknowledged “the inquiries regarding the potential involvement of other Macarthur FC players in the betting allegations, specifically have been made about players Jed Drew and Matthew Millar.”

Police had previously stated that they were looking for another Macarthur player who was not in New South Wales at the time of the mid-May arrests.

Davila and Lewis, Suspended, Waiting for Court Appearances

Davila and Lewis will be facing court in June. 

All three players were slapped with no-fault interim suspension notices by Football Australia following their arrests. 

The notices ban them from participating in any fixture until the completion of the legal process.

Data from the Australian Associated Press says Baccus did not make any statements while in court. 

Moreover, he did not provide any indication regarding the way he would plead. 

Nonetheless, his lawyer, Bryan Wrench, asked the court to consider the nature of A-League matches when considering the case, claiming his client “was a highly competitive, aggressive player” in certain circumstances. 

Baccus’ case has been adjourned until June 24, the date when he will make an appearance at the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney.

Macarthur FC has released a statement expressing the club’s openness to work with the authorities in assisting the investigation.