FORMER CHELSEA signing Ulises Davila has admitted his role in a lucrative yellow card fixing scam.
The Mexican midfielder, who was handed a five-year contract when the Blues swooped for him in 2011, was accused of being the ringleader of a scheme that reportedly netted almost £100,000 in payouts from the bookies.
Davila pleaded guilty to facilitating and engaging in conduct that corrupted betting outcomes relating to six top-flight matches in Australia’s A-League across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
The former Macarthur FC captain and A-League Player of the Year admitted in court on Thursday to orchestrating the operation that involved two teammates.
The scandal centres on a match against Sydney FC in December 2023, where Davila received a yellow card for kicking the ball away.
His actions were allegedly part of a coordinated effort that saw bets placed on Macarthur players receiving at least four cautions.
Macarthur’s Clayton Lewis was punished for pushing an opponent in the chest, and Kearyn Baccus was booked for a poor tackle.
They escaped conviction with good-behaviour bonds, telling the court they acted at Davila’s request, describing him as “not only the captain of the team, but the captain of the scheme.”
All three players were suspended and subsequently released from their contracts.
Davila, the first Mexican player to sign for Chelsea, allegedly paid his teammates around £5,000 each for their involvement.
The 34-year-old became a star in Australia later in his career after a frustrating four-year spell at Stamford Bridge.
He was snapped up by the Blues after starring for Mexico at the Under-20 World Cup, but never played for his country’s senior national team, which reduced his chances of getting a work permit to play in England.
Chelsea loaned him out to Vitesse Arnhem alongside defender Tomas Kalas, but he spent most of his time there in the reserves before joining Spanish lower-tier sides Sabadell, Cordoba and Tenerife.
His Blues involvement came to an end after a short loan stunt with Vitoria Setubal in Portugal when Santos Laguna took him back to Mexico.
From there, he moved to Delhi Dynamos in India and on to Wellington Phoenix and Macarther FC in Australia.
He is scheduled for sentencing on December 19.
Eight additional charges – including that Davila directed and participated in a criminal group – were withdrawn by prosecutors in the Downing Centre Local Court.
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