Football Australia has handed down lengthy suspensions to four players following spot-fixing investigations, banning former Western United winger Riku Danzaki for seven years, while ex-Macarthur FC teammates Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus received bans of at least four years.
In August, Japanese footballer Danzaki was found guilty and fined alongside amateur player Yuta Hirayama for orchestrating a yellow-card betting scheme. Hirayama placed wagers on matches in which Danzaki intentionally picked up yellow cards.
Both Danzaki and Hirayama were hit with seven-year bans, backdated to June 1, the date they were placed under no-fault interim suspensions by Football Australia. As a result, the 25-year-old winger is barred from playing in Australia until June 1, 2032, when he will be 32, effectively bringing his career in the country to an end.
Meanwhile, in September, Baccus and Lewis were each issued two-year conditional release orders—similar to good behavior bonds—and avoided convictions after pleading guilty to conduct that corrupted the betting outcome of a football match.
The pair admitted they were paid $10,000 each by former Macarthur FC captain Ulises Davila to deliberately receive yellow cards during a match in December 2023. They were also ordered to repay the money they earned from the scheme as part of their penalties.
Davila himself pleaded guilty in October to facilitating and engaging in betting corruption and is currently awaiting sentencing.
Football Australia imposed five-year bans on Lewis and Baccus, backdated to May 17, 2024, when both were placed on no-fault interim suspensions. However, those bans will be reduced by one year if they complete community service.
FA confirmed the duo “were each offered the option and have elected to complete 200 hours of unpaid football-related community service to support FA’s integrity and education programs”.
This means their suspensions are expected to end in May 2028, at which point former New Zealand international Lewis will be 31, while Baccus will be 36.
The sanction effectively brings Baccus’s professional career to a close, while Lewis is likely to be nearing the end of his playing days.
“The community service component of the sanction is intended to provide the players with a pathway for rehabilitation and positive engagement with the football community during their period of suspension,” Football Australia said in a statement quoted from Football360 Australia.
All four players have accepted their sanctions and will not be lodging appeals.