The ongoing corruption scandal in Australia’s A-League has taken a new turn as overseas betting agencies are now involved in the case against former Macarthur FC players.

Ex-captain Ulises Davila and midfielders Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis face charges related to an alleged bet-fixing scheme involving yellow cards.

According to court proceedings at Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court, prosecutors are seeking statements from several international betting agencies, including BetPlay Colombia, bet365 New Jersey and bet365 Bulgaria.

These documents are expected to form a crucial part of the evidence against the accused players.

The allegations suggest that Davila, a former Chelsea academy player, acted as an intermediary between Macarthur FC players and a criminal group in Colombia.

He is accused of paying Baccus and Lewis up to $10,000 to deliberately receive yellow cards as part of the illegal betting operation.

The scheme allegedly resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in betting winnings. Investigators claim that yellow cards were manipulated during specific matches, including a 1-1 draw with Melbourne Victory on 24 November and a 2-0 win over Sydney FC on 9 December where all three charged players were booked.

The case has had significant repercussions for the players involved. Macarthur FC terminated Davila’s contract in June, while Baccus was released during the club’s 2024 offseason.

The legal proceedings are still currently underway, with the next court dates set for September and October.