The A-League has confirmed three players have been arrested by police over a betting corruption operation which involved the alleged manipulation of yellow cards.
In a short statement, the A-League said they are committed to protecting the integrity of the sport in the country.
"The APL is aware of the arrests of three A-League players by NSW Police as a result of international law enforcement coordination focused on betting corruption related to alleged yellow card manipulation in games," the APL wrote on Friday morning.
"The work to protect the integrity of our game must be unwavering and we are liaising closely with all relevant agencies on this matter.
"Given the ongoing nature of the investigation and Police enquiries we are unable to comment further at this time."
Football Australia also confirmed in a statement they are aware of the situation.
โFootball Australia has been made aware of the arrests of three A-League Men players this morning, following an investigation by the NSW Police Force Organised Crime Squad into alleged betting corruption under Strike Force Beaconview,โ the statement read.
โFootball Australia is fully co-operating with the Organised Crime Squad, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Sport Integrity Australia and the NSW Crime Commission in this matter.
โFootball Australia will provide no further comments at this stage as the investigation is ongoing.โ
According to a Sydney Morning Herald report, police are alleging a senior player at Macarthur FC took instructions from a man belived to be in South America to organise yellow cards to be awarded during games to make a profit.
It's understood the player allegedly successfully manipulated the number of cards shown during two games on November 24 against the Melbourne Victory, and against Sydney FC on December 9, while there were alo more recent failed attempts on April 20 and May 4.
The report suggests police arrested Macarthur FC captain Ulises Davies, who is expected to be charged with two counts of engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome, and two counts of facilitating corrupt betting conduct while two other unnamed players were also arrested and expected to be charged with one count of engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome.
