A-League rocked as three Macarthur FC players arrested in alleged betting scandal
NSW Police have confirmed details of the bombshell development.
Three Macarthur FC players have been arrested over their alleged involvement in an A-League betting fix that police say was led by a senior player and masterminded by his offshore connection. The Sydney club said it was "shocked" by the allegations of yellow-card manipulation among its players after a six-month police investigation.
NSW Police said the probe was launched in December 2023 with the help of UK officials. The investigation revealed that a senior player was allegedly taking instructions from a man - believed to be based in South America - to organise players taking yellow cards during matches for money.
Police are yet to name any of the players who have been charged but investigators said all three were attached to a club based in southwest Sydney. Investigators allege yellow cards were manipulated during games played on November 24 and December 9. They also allege unsuccessful attempts were made to do the same thing during matches on April 20 and May 4.
Macarthur played out a 1-1 draw with Melbourne Victory on November 24 before beating Sydney FC 2-0 on December 9. The team beat Sydney 1-0 on April 20 before being thrashed 4-0 by the Sky Blues on May 4. Macarthur FC chief executive Sam Krslovic said the club was caught off-guard by the arrests but it would work with authorities.
Macarthur FC responds to arrest of players
"The club is shocked and aware of the arrests of three A-League players by NSW Police as a result of international law enforcement co-ordination focused on betting corruption related to alleged yellow card manipulation in games," he said in a statement. "Integrity of our game is a foundation pillar and we will work closely with all relevant agencies on this matter."
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A 33-year-old man was arrested on Friday at South Coogee, in Sydney's east, when police executed a search warrant as part of the investigation. A 27-year-old was arrested in Parramatta and a 32-year-old was arrested in Campbelltown.
The oldest of the trio is expected to be charged with two counts of engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event and two counts of facilitating conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event. The other two players will be charged with engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event.
UK agency alerted Aussie officials to alleged scandal
Sports Integrity Australia said it acted on information from a UK agency working with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission on their investigation. Football Australia said it was made aware of the arrests on Friday morning. "FA is fully co-operating with the Organised Crime Squad, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Sport Integrity Australia and the NSW Crime Commission in this matter," it said in a statement.
The Australian Professional Leagues, which runs the A-League competitions, also acknowledged the arrest as a result of "international law enforcement co-ordination". "The work to protect the integrity of our game must be unwavering and we are liaising closely with all relevant agencies on this matter," it said in a statement. Macarthur FC has been in the A-League Men's competition since the 2020-21 season. The team finished this regular season in fifth before being knocked out by Sydney FC in an elimination final.
