Australian footballers arrested on match-fixing charges
Failed attempts were allegedly made to control the number of yellow cards during games
Sydney: Three professional Australian football players were arrested Friday on match-fixing charges, accused of rigging contests on the instruction of a go-between in South America, police said.
A senior footballer tried to fix a series of games in late 2023 and 2024 by organising for players to cop yellow cards, according to police, who did not name the players or the club involved.
Punters in both Australia and overseas are able to bet on markets such as the number of yellow cards dished out during a game.
Police alleged the senior player was "taking instructions from a man believed to be offshore in South America".
Working with the help of the United Kingdom Gambling Commission, detectives on Friday arrested a 33-year-old man who they expected to charge with "conduct that corrupts a betting outcome".
They also arrested a 32-year-old man and a 27-year-old, who are facing the same charge.
Governing body Football Australia said the three players belonged to an unnamed Sydney club competing in the nationwide, professional A-League.