Three Macarthur players have been arrested for alleged betting corruption after police claim they manipulated the number of yellow cards they received in matches.
New South Wales Police launched an investigation in December 2023 into alleged yellow card tampering at the A-League club.
Six months later, detectives have revealed that a “senior player” was allegedly following instructions from a man – believed to reside in South America – to organize players who received yellow cards during matches in exchange for money.
Police have not yet named any of the accused players, but investigators said all three are linked to a club based in Sydney's southwest.
Police say the yellow cards were tampered with during matches played on November 24 and December 9.
They also allege that unsuccessful attempts were made to do the same during the April 20 and May 4 matches.
Macarthur drew 1-1 with Melbourne Victory on 24 November before beating Sydney FC 2-0 on 9 December.
The team beat Sydney 1-0 on April 20 before being thrashed 4-0 by the Sky Blues on May 4.
Macarthur FC has been contacted for comment.
Sports Integrity Australia said it acted on information from a UK agency working with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission in its investigation.
Football Australia said it became aware of the arrests on Friday morning.
“The FA is cooperating fully with the Organized Crime Squad, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Sport Integrity Australia and the New South Wales Crime Commission in this matter,” he said in a statement.
Australian professional leagues, which organize A-League competitions, also acknowledged the arrest as a result of “international law enforcement coordination.”
“The work to protect the integrity of our game must be unwavering and we are working closely with all relevant agencies on this matter,” he said in a statement.
Police executed a search warrant in South Coogee, in Sydney's east, on Friday when they arrested a 33-year-old man.
A 27-year-old man was arrested in the suburb of Parramatta, while a 32-year-old man was arrested in Campbelltown.
The eldest of the trio is expected to be charged with two counts of engaging in conduct corrupting the outcome of an event bet and two counts of facilitating conduct corrupting the outcome of an event bet.
The other two players will be charged with engaging in conduct that corrupts the outcome of betting on an event.
