Ulises Davila, the former captain of Macarthur FC, has pleaded guilty for his part in a betting scandal involving top-flight football matches in Australia.
Davila, 34, who was once on the books of Premier League club Chelsea, had been accused of overseeing a yellow card fixing scam where he and two of his Macarthur team-mates were deliberately getting themselves booked.
In a Sydney court appearance on Thursday (October 9), Davila pleaded guilty to facilitating and engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event, and he will be sentenced on December 19.
It has been a dramatic fall from grace for the popular Mexican midfielder who had been named the A-League’s joint player of the season in 2020-21.
The other two Macarthur players involved, Clayton Lewis, 28, and Kearyn Baccus, 34, had already been sentenced last month for their part in the bet-fixing scheme.
They both pleaded guilty to one charge each of engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome, but avoided custodial sentences after collaborating with investigators and corroborating evidence to show that Davila had been their ringleader.
During Davila’s appearance at the Downing Centre Local Court, prosecutors confirmed they were withdrawing eight further charges levelled against him, including directing and participating in a criminal group.
Davila had struck a deal after agreeing to cooperate with the investigation, including providing what details he had for the Colombian criminal behind the scheme, referred to in court as “J Col”.
How Did The Macarthur Players Fix Yellow Cards?
The players were arrested by New South Wales Police Force in May 2024 after suspicious betting activity around five A-League games played between 2023 and 2024.
The particular game in focus during the prosecution was a match with Sydney FC in December 2023, in which gambling site BetPlay had received 50 identical wagers at the same time on Macarthur FC receiving three or more yellow cards.
During that game all three players were punished for bookable offences.
Davila received his yellow card for kicking the ball away to delay play, Lewis pushed a Sydney player in the chest causing him to fall over and Baccus was penalised for a clumsy tackle from behind.
BetPlay confirmed that winning payouts around Macarthur FC receiving yellow cards in that game exceeded A$200,000, leading to an estimated loss for the operator of A$167,387.
Lewis and Baccus later stated that Davila had paid them A$10,000 each for their part in the scam.
Last month they were both sentenced to two-year conditional release orders and fined A$10,000 but avoided jail terms.
It has perhaps proved more costly for Lewis whose career appears to be finished at just 28.
The Kiwi midfielder had earned 27 senior international caps for New Zealand before his arrest in 2024.
As part of his sentence, he has been ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment for gambling addiction and depression.
Who Is Ulises Davila?
Davila became the first Mexican player to sign for Chelsea in August 2011, at the age of 20.
Despite spending four-and-a-half years with the Premier League club, he failed to make a single appearance for the London-based outfit’s first team, spending much of his time away on loan.
He represented his country up to Under-23 level and received one senior international call-up for the 2011 Copa America but did not feature in any of Mexico’s games.
Davila moved to Australia in 2019 to play for A-League side Wellington Phoenix and after being named joint winner of the Johnny Warren Medal for being player of the season in 2020-21, he signed a three-year deal with Macarthur FC.
Within a few months he had been made club captain for 2021-22 and by the end of the campaign had led Macarthur FC to its only major honour, scoring a 90th-minute penalty and being named man of the match as they beat Sydney United 2-0 in the 2022 Australia Cup final.
Davila had just agreed a new two-year deal when Macarthur terminated his contract in June 2024 following his arrest.
The player was hit by personal tragedy in May 2022 when his 31-year-old wife Lily Pacheco died after an unsuccessful brain operation.
