Footballers plead guilty to match-fixing

The Independent

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, July 11, 2025, p. a12

Two professional footballers admitted before the Court to having participated in corrupt acts in betting in which Mexican player Ulises Dávila, a former Chivas youth player and former captain of the Macarthur Bulls of the Australian A-League, allegedly acted as a mediator by receiving money to pay for yellow cards during matches.

Dávila and midfielders Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis were charged in May 2024 with tampering with yellow cards during matches in 2023 and 2024.

The 33-year-old Tricolor footballer allegedly acted as a contact between the southwest Sydney club's players and a criminal group in Colombia, arranging yellow cards to appear during certain games.

Davila allegedly paid up to 10,000 Australian dollars ($6,550) to Baccus, 33, and Lewis, 27, to deliberately try to receive bookings issued by the referee for foul play.

Baccus and Lewis pleaded guilty in a Sydney court to engaging in conduct that corrupted the outcome of match betting. A second charge of assisting a criminal group was dropped.

Lewis had previously pleaded not guilty to both charges, but reversed his plea on one of them after a plea bargain. Both will face sentencing in September.

Dávila, who also played for Santos Laguna, has yet to plead guilty to the nine charges he faces. He will return to court next month.

Police said the gambling scheme resulted in payouts of hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings.

The league suspended all players. Dávila's contract with Macarthur FC was terminated shortly after his arrest. Baccus was released by the Bulls in 2024, and Lewis remains suspended.

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From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, July 11, 2025, p. a12

With a record purse of $9 million, the most expensive in women's boxing, the third fight between Puerto Rican Amanda Serrano (right) and Irish Katie Taylor will be held this Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York, which will be broadcast on Netflix. Serrano will seek to redeem her two losses in previous bouts and take the undisputed super lightweight title (IBF, WBC, WBO, and WBA) from Taylor. Both boxers weighed in at 136 pounds yesterday. Also on the card will be Mexican Yamileth Mercado, who will put her WBC super bantamweight title on the lineup against British Ellie Scotney, the WBO and IBF champion. Meanwhile, Olympic medalist Marco Verde said he is ready to appear with his people in Culiacán this Saturday against Colombian Cristian Montero, after a last-minute change due to his Venezuelan opponent Humberto Díaz having immigration issues.

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, July 11, 2025, p. a30

Former world boxing champion Julio César Chávez denied any knowledge of any injunctions filed by the attorneys for his son, Julio César Chávez Jr., who was arrested a few days ago in the United States for his irregular immigration status and possible ties to the Sinaloa cartel. He also expressed confidence that his legal situation will soon be clarified.

"I want to express my full respect and confidence in the authorities of Mexico and the United States. I am convinced that the facts will be clarified, because my son is not a criminal. That will be the task of the lawyers, who are already working on it."

I know there are many people who want to help me, and I sincerely appreciate it. But I want to make it clear that I am unaware of the injunctions that have been filed to date , Chávez said in a statement posted yesterday on his social media.

He also asked for respect for his privacy, that of his family, and that of the legal process his son is currently facing. "When things become clearer, I will be happy to answer all your questions, as I always have. I appreciate your understanding ," he concluded.

The announcement was released two days after Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero announced that his team is ready to prosecute Julio César Chávez Jr., who faces deportation proceedings to Mexico.

All our staff is ready. Your lawyer has been filing a series of injunctions that are inadmissible, and we're going to take them to court as soon as I arrive ," the official said during Tuesday's morning press conference.