Macarthur FC captain Ulises Dávila is one of three players from the A-League side arrested this morning over an alleged betting scandal.

The NSW Police Organised Crime Squad Gaming Unit launched an investigation into the alleged manipulation of yellow cards during football games for gambling purposes.

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Police will allege detectives discovered midfielder Dávila, 33, had been allegedly taking instructions from a man — believed to be in South America — to organise yellow cards to occur during certain points in A-League games.

The alleged offending occurred during games between November 24 and December 9 last year.

Dávila received a yellow card during Macarthur FC’s game against Melbourne Victory on November 24 and another yellow card during his side’s match against Sydney FC on December 9.

A footballer sat on the ground with a ball at his feet

Ulises Dávila was arrested by detectives in South Coogee on Friday morning.(AAP: Jeremy Ng)

Failed attempts to allegedly control the number of cards issued during games happened between April 20 and May 4 this year.

Detectives arrested Dávila in South Coogee on Friday morning.

He is expected to be charged with two counts of engage in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event, and two counts of facilitate in conduct that corrupts a betting out of an event.

Dávila plays as an attacking midfielder and is the first Mexican to sign with English Premier League club Chelsea in 2011, and has previously played for Wellington Phoenix.

He recently signed on for another two years at Macarthur FC.

A 27-year-old player from Parramatta and a 32-year-old player from West Hoxton were also arrested.

Both men are expected to be charged with engage in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event.

Football Australia said all three players are expected to face court this afternoon and was cooperating with authorities.

Detectives from the organised crime squad are working with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Sports Integrity Australia, Football Australia, Australian Professional Leagues and the NSW Crime Commission.

The investigation is ongoing.

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Posted 2h ago2 hours agoThu 16 May 2024 at 11:53pm, updated 44m ago44 minutes agoFri 17 May 2024 at 1:31am

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