All Whites midfielder Clayton Lewis. Photo / Photosport
Former All White Clayton Lewis will be sentenced in a Sydney court today for his role in one of Australia’s biggest sports corruption scandals.
Lewis was arrested in May last year, alongside his former Macarthur teammates Kearyn Baccus and Ulises Davila, following a six-month investigation by NSW Police’s organised crime squad, which uncovered a yellow card manipulation scheme.
Police alleged the spot-fixing operation was operating under the direction of a South American crime syndicate to enable illegal gambling on A-League matches.
Lewis initially denied any wrongdoing. In July, however, more than a year on from his arrest, he pleaded guilty to a charge of engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event. A second charge relating to participation in a criminal group was withdrawn.
Baccus also pleaded guilty, and would be sentenced alongside Lewis at the Local Court of New South Wales in central Sydney today.
Dávila, the team’s captain and alleged “point man” for a South American crime figure, was yet to enter a plea. He was due to reappear before the court later this month.
According to court documents obtained by RNZ, Lewis accepted he had been paid A$10,000 ($11,164) to deliberately draw a yellow card in Macarthur’s win over Sydney FC in December 2023.
The agreed statement of facts stated the Kiwi midfielder was paid the money in three separate instalments.
Wednesday’s sentencing hearing would bring to an end a 16-month legal process for Lewis that began with the trio’s dramatic arrest in a series of dawn raids across greater Sydney in May last year.
Soon after, NSW Police held a press conference to announce it had charged three players with engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome, sending shockwaves through the A-League.
The saga is considered the biggest sports corruption scandal in Australia’s football codes since the National Rugby League’s Ryan Tandy affair in 2010.
In that case, while playing for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Tandy was found to have manipulated the first points scored in a match. He was banned from the NRL for life and served a six-month intensive correction order.
Detective Superintendent Peter Faux, commander of the organised crime squad, said the A-League investigation involving Lewis was launched after police were alerted by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission to betting abnormalities on Macarthur FC yellow cards.
The investigation, code-named Strike Force Beaconview, discovered that all the concerned betting activity occurred offshore, predominantly in South America, with the manipulated outcome leading to payouts of more than A$200,000 ($223,270).
The three players charged were issued no-fault interim suspension notices by the sport’s governing body Football Australia, sidelining them from any football or club-related activities until criminal proceedings concluded.
“This is very troubling news for the Australian football community and beyond. The conduct that has been alleged has no place in our game,” Football Australia chief executive James Johnson said.
While Wednesday’s sentencing hearing would end the legal process for Lewis, there were likely further ramifications to come.
It is understood Football Australia would run a separate disciplinary process for each of the players, with heavy sanctions expected.
New Zealand Football said it was unable to comment on Lewis’ future while he was before the courts.
“New Zealand Football have been kept aware of Clayton Lewis’ situation, have been in contact with him with offers of support, and he continues to be supported by the [NZ Professional Footballers Association],” the organisation said in a statement.