Three former A-League players have been slapped with lengthy bans from Football Australia for their involvement in match-fixing offences
Former Western United midfielder Riku Danzaki, and ex-Macarthur FC pair Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus all received bans for deliberately getting yellow cards in A-League matches as part of illegal betting schemes.
Japanese player Danzaki has been banned from all football-related activity for seven years, a sanction that has been dated back to June 1 this year when he was issued a no-fault interim suspension by FA.
New Zealand international Lewis and Baccus have been hit with five-tear suspensions from all football-related activity, a ban that has been dated back to May 17 last year when FA issued the pair with no-fault interim suspensions.
Should Lewis and Baccus complete 200 hours of unpaid football-related community service – as they have agreed to – in support of FA’s integrity and education programs, their bans will be reduced by 12 months.
Amateur player Yuta Hirayama was also banned for seven years in relation to the matter involving Danzaki.
Hirayama, Danzaki, Lewis and Baccus have opted against appealing the FA-imposed bans.
Danzaki and Hirayama were convicted and each fined $5000 in August in the Melbourne Magistrates Court for committing betting fraud.
Lewis and Baccus were in September sentenced to two-year conditional release orders, but were spared convictions, after each pleaded guilty to one charge of engaging in conduct that corrupts betting outcomes.