Football Australia has handed down substantial suspensions to four players embroiled in a damaging spot-fixing and betting scandal that has rocked the A-League.
Lengthy Bans for Yellow Card Scheme
The most severe penalty, a seven-year ban, has been imposed on Japanese midfielder Riku Danzaki, formerly of Western United. His suspension, which is backdated to 1 June, was issued alongside amateur player Yuta Hirayama.
This follows their conviction and fines in August for a scheme where Hirayama placed bets on Danzaki intentionally receiving yellow cards during matches.
Payments for Bookings Lead to Further Suspensions
In a separate but connected case, former Macarthur FC players Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus have each received minimum bans of four years.
Their punishments stem from admitting they accepted payments of $10,000 from their then-club captain, Ulises Davila. The money was offered in exchange for deliberately getting yellow cards during a match in December 2023.
Both Lewis and Baccus pleaded guilty to conduct that corrupts a betting outcome. They received two-year conditional release orders, avoided formal convictions, and were ordered to repay the illicit funds.
Ulises Davila, who facilitated the bribes, pleaded guilty to similar charges in October and is currently awaiting sentencing.
Scandal Echoes Global Football Concerns
Football Australia confirmed on Friday 19 December 2025 that all four players have accepted their penalties and will not appeal the decisions.
This scandal is not an isolated incident in global football. A major probe into alleged betting corruption is also unfolding in Turkey.
That investigation found in October that 371 out of 571 active referees in Turkey's professional leagues held betting accounts. Subsequently, 17 referees were arrested and over 1,000 players were suspended by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF).
Among those suspended were Galatasaray players Eren Elmali and Metehan Baltaci. Earlier this month, state media reported that top-flight players, including Baltaci and Fenerbahce's Mert Hakan Yandas, were being held in jail pending trial as part of the ongoing investigation.
