Macarthur FC captain Ulises Dávila fined $11k over A

Former Macarthur FC captain Ulises Dávila has avoided jail and has been fined $11,000 for his involvement in an A-League card fixing saga to manipulate betting outcomes.

A Sydney court heard the 34-year-old's offending took place in a "very specific set of circumstances" and against a backdrop of considerable grief after the death of his wife.

Dávila had been in contact with a Colombian-based contact known as J Col, orchestrating the wagering of yellow card outcomes during a game against Sydney FC in December 2023.

He recruited teammates Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus to also take part.

Downing Centre Local Court heard 50 suspicious wagers were placed around the same time, causing an estimated loss of $167,387 to a betting operator.

However, there was no evidence that Dávila was aware of the amounts wagered.

He pleaded guilty to engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event and facilitating such conduct.

During ongoing contact with J Col, the pair discussed further attempts to manipulate the betting market the following year, although they were ultimately abandoned.

During some messages, the court heard J Col made reference to letting money "slip away" when plans were aborted.

Dávila was arrested in May 2024.

Motivated by fear, court told

According to a report from a psychologist, Dávila said his sole intention was to keep his family safe in an environment where he felt threats were real.

He said there had been increasingly coercive communication, including through intermediaries, and attempted to avoid involvement or delay further contact.

The former skipper claimed he acted while under fear and pressure as he approached the other players.

His defence team pointed to the complete absence of evidence that he received any financial benefit to back up the claims of duress.

But Magistrate Marguerite Vassall on Wednesday accepted a prosecution submission that he had not, on balance, established that he was acting under duress.

She said the offences were of moderate seriousness after weighing up factors including the estimated financial loss to the betting operator, and the fact that his ongoing contact with J Col spanned some time despite ultimately not impacting the outcomes of games.

The magistrate made a finding that the offending "to some extent brings the integrity of the game into disrepute".

Career 'effectively over'

She took into account a significant amount of evidence about Dávila's prior good character.

"Mr Dávila is someone who has led, until the commission of these offences, a crime-free life," she said.

"As I understand it he has, until the commission of these offences, been the type of player where his reputation is such that he was appointed captain of the Macarthur Football Club."

Magistrate Vassall said it was not in dispute that the offences occurred in a "very specific set of circumstances" and against a backdrop of grief.

She said it was also not disputed that the risk of him offending again was reduced because his career was "effectively over".

She recorded a conviction and imposed a fine of $7,700 for the initial offence, and a fine of $3,300 for the second offence of facilitation.

"I think you understand this is something, anything of this kind, you must not engage in again," Magistrate Vassall told Dávila before he left the courtroom.

Last year, Lewis and Baccus were sentenced to a two-year conditional release order for their lesser roles in the saga.

They received $10,000 from their captain for their involvement.

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