Former New Zealand international Clayton Lewis has avoided a conviction after pleading guilty to involvement in an A-League spot-fixing scheme.
The 28-year-old was sentenced in a Sydney court to a two-year community release order for accepting $10,000 to deliberately receive a yellow card in a December 2023 match against Sydney FC while playing for Macarthur FC. His co-accused, ex-teammate Kearyn Baccus, received the same sentence. Police allege the pair acted under the direction of then-captain Ulises Davila, accused of facilitating illegal betting for a South American crime syndicate.
The court heard that Lewis was struggling with gambling addiction when recruited and was exploited due to his vulnerability.
His lawyer said he has likely lost his football career, with Football Australia issuing a show-cause notice that could impose a lifetime ban.
While the magistrate spared Lewis a formal conviction, he remains under community supervision, and Davila is due back in court this week to face multiple corruption-related charges.
