Former Phoenix captain Ulises Dávila and All Whites midfielder Clayton Lewis are among the three A-League players arrested in Australia over an alleged betting scandal.
Macarthur club captain Dávila, 33, was arrested by New South Wales in South Coogee, after an Organised Crime Squad Gaming Unit probe into the alleged manipulation of yellow cards during football games for gambling purposes.
Police allege Dávila took instructions from a man - believed to be a South American crime figure known as 'The Instructor' - to organise yellow cards during A-League games. He is alleged to have offered $10,000 to Lewis and Kearyn Baccus to deliberately receive yellow cards.
The alleged offending occurred during games between November 24-December 9 last year. All three players were yellow-carded in a December 9 win over Sydney FC, while Dávila was also booked in a November 24 draw with Melbourne Victory.
Failed attempts to allegedly control the number of cards issued during games happened between April 20 and May 4 this year.
Police claim "multiple thousands of dollars" were paid out as a result of the alleged fixing and they are now seeking a fourth player to interview.
Mexican Davila plays as an attacking midfielder and was the first Mexican to sign with English Premier League club Chelsea in 2011. He played for the Phoenix between 2019-21 before signing with Macarthur.
He became a Wellington fan favourite and celebrated the birth of his son while at the club, but suffered personal tragedy, when wife Lily died in 2022.
At the time of his departure, Phoenix general manager David Dome said the club had put considerable resource and effort into re-signing Davila.
"We put forward the single-largest contract ever in its history in order to retain Ulises, who has shone in the A-League," said Dome.
Dávila recently renewed his contract with Macarthur for a further two years.
Lewis, 27, played three seasons at the Phoenix, making 63 A-League appearances. He debuted for the All Whites in 2015 as a teenager and has played 22 internationals for New Zealand.
The Australian Professional Leagues - administrator of the men's and women's A-League competitions - has responded to the arrests.
"The APL is aware of the arrests of three A-League players by NSW Police as a result of international law enforcement coordination focussed on betting corruption, related to alleged yellow card manipulation in games," it said.
"The work to protect the integrity of our game must be unwavering and we are liaising closely with all relevant agencies on this matter."
NZ Football has also responded.
"We're aware of the reports," said chief executive Andrew Pragnell. "We haven't received official confirmation of them, but we're naturally concerned - they're serious allegations.
"We'll continue to monitor the issue and, once fully appraised, will be in a better position to comment."
RNZ/Newshub
