SYDNEY (AP) – Football Australia has handed former Western United player Riku Dansaki a seven-year ban and ex-Macarthur FC pair Clayton Lewis and Keirin Backus a minimum of four years for spot match-fixing gambling violations in the A-League.
In August, Danzaki, a member of Japan’s national soccer team, was found guilty of yellow card gambling fraud along with amateur player Yuta Hirayama and sentenced to a fine. Hirayama bets that Danzaki will intentionally receive a yellow card.
Danzaki and Hirayama have been given seven-year suspensions, backdated to June 1, when they were given provisional no-fault suspensions, Football Australia announced on Friday.
In September, Mr Backus and Mr Lewis were given two-year conditional release orders, similar to good behavior bonds, and were spared convictions after pleading guilty to engaging in conduct that undermined the betting outcome of an event.
The pair admitted they were each paid 10,000 Australian dollars (approximately 660,000 yen) by former club captain Ulises Dávila for intentionally receiving a yellow card in a match in December 2023.
He also had to pay back the money he received for getting a yellow card as a fine.
Davila in October He is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to promoting and engaging in conduct that undermined the outcome of betting at an event.
Football Australia announced that all four players had accepted their respective punishments and would not appeal.
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