Report: Two more A-League footballers embroiled in spot-fixing scandal
Duo from Macarthur FC named in unsealed court documents after three of their teammates were charged in New South Wales earlier this month
A further two Macarthur FC players have been linked with the illegal spot-fixing scheme that has already seen three of the club’s stars charged by Australian police.
As per the Associated Press, court documents, revealed in Campbell Town Court on Thursday 30 May, named Matthew Millar and Jed Drew as part of the investigation into a criminal group that saw multiple players allegedly plan to deliberately receive yellow cards for money.
The pair’s inclusion in the case came as midfielder Kearyn Baccus, one of the original three Macarthur players charged by the New South Wales Organised Crime Squad, appeared in the Sydney court.
However, Football Australia has already released a statement regarding this development and made clear that though named in proceedings, 20-year-old Drew is not deemed a suspect.
It read: “Following the court appearance of player Kearyn Baccus this morning, Football Australia acknowledges the enquiries regarding the potential involvement of other Macarthur FC players in the betting allegations, specifically, enquiries have been made about players Jed Drew and Matthew Millar.
“We have been informed by the State Crime Command Organised Crime Squad that the investigation, known as Strike Force Beaconview, is ongoing. It is important to note that player Jed Drew is not regarded as a suspect and is currently not under investigation.”
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.
Baccus, 32, was the first of the three players already charged to appear in front of court. The two others, Ulises Davila and Clayton Lewis, were both charged alongside Baccus but will not face court until next month.
All three were handed no fault interim suspension notices by Football Australia after the arrests, which ensures they cannot participate in any fixture until the legal process is complete.
According to the Australian Associated Press, Baccus did not speak during his time in court, nor did he offer any indication over how he would plea. However, his lawyer, Bryan Wrench, urged the court to keep in mind the nature of A-League matches while considering the case.
“It was circumstances where he was a highly competitive, aggressive player,” he claimed.
Baccus’ case has been adjourned until 24 June, when he will appear at Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney.
The aforementioned ‘Strike Force Beaconview’ was formed by the New South Wales State Crime Command’s Organised Crime Squad Gaming Unit last December with the assistance of Great Britain’s Gambling Commission.
The investigation concluded that the most senior of the three Macarthur FC players, Davila, had allegedly taken instructions from an individual based in South America to organise yellow cards within certain periods of fixtures in exchange for profit.
From there, Davila is alleged to have paid the two junior players A$10,000 (£5,300) each to intentionally receive yellow cards during matches.
The moments in question stem from fixtures played on Friday 24 November 2023 and Saturday 9 December 2023, the latter of which saw all three players charged pick up bookings.
This was followed by two other failed attempts to control the number of yellow cards shown during games which occurred on Saturday 20 April and Saturday 4 May 2024.
Much like Football Australia, Macarthur FC has released a statement echoing the sentiment of the governing body and has noted that the club is working with the authorities to help with the investigation.