SYDNEY (AP) — A former club captain who was honored as the A-League's player of the year has admitted his role in a lucrative match-fixing scheme and pleaded guilty to the charges in an Australian court on Thursday.

Ulises Davila, 34, was accused of being the ringleader of the betting scheme which involved him and two Macarthur Bulls teammates deliberately earning yellow cards to help guarantee a betting outcome.

The charges related to six games in Australia's top-flight soccer competition across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

The former Macarthur FC captain pleaded guilty to facilitating and engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event.

Eight charges against him, including that he directed and participated in a criminal group, were withdrawn by prosecutors in Sydney's

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