Who is Clayton Lewis, the New Zealand footballer at the centre of A-League betting scandal?
Wednesday, 22 May 2024
The A-League was rocked by an alleged betting scandal that saw three players from New South Wales club Macarthur FC arrested and charged with corruption offences on the eve of the semifinals last week.
One of them is Clayton Lewis, a current New Zealand international and a former Wellington Phoenix midfielder. The serious allegations have put the 27-cap All White’s career in jeopardy.
This sounds serious. What happened?
Macarthur’s captain and star Mexican import Ulises Dávila has been accused of paying teammates Lewis and Kearyn Baccus $10,000 to deliberately receive yellow cards, allegedly acting under instruction from an organised crime figure in South America. Police allege hundreds of thousands of dollars were paid out in winnings. NSW Police assistant commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said the players had “betrayed the trust of their supporters and the code”.
Who is Clayton Lewis?
Lewis is a professional footballer from Wellington. The 27-year-old has been capped 27 times by the All Whites since making his debut in a 1-0 defeat to South Korea in 2015 as an 18-year-old. Lewis just wrapped up his first season with Campbelltown club Macarthur after spending the previous three years at the Phoenix. The midfielder resurrected his career with the Phoenix after a frustrating spell with English club Scunthorpe between 2017 and 2019 – his first in professional football. He is also an Olympian, having played for the Oly Whites at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
What has Lewis been charged with?
Lewis was charged with engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event, and participating in a criminal group. Lewis was granted conditional bail and will appear in a Sydney court on June 27.
Has Lewis commented since his arrest?
On Sunday, Fox Sports reported Lewis' lawyer Zemarai Khatiz as saying: “Clayton disputes the allegations. He will be pleading not guilty and fighting the charges”. When contacted by Stuff on Tuesday, Khatiz confirmed he was acting for Lewis but said he would not discuss the matter any further. Pressed on whether he had been accurately quoted by Fox Sports, Khatiz did not deny the comments, but said to wait for Lewis' court appearance at the end of June and “see what happens there”.
When did Lewis receive the yellow card in question?
Investigators allege yellow cards were manipulated during games played on November 24 and December 9. They also allege unsuccessful attempts were made to do the same thing during matches on April 20 and May 4. Lewis was issued with a yellow card in the 53rd minute of Macarthur’s 2-0 win over Sydney FC on December 9. Sydney were looking to advance down the right and Lewis attempted to block an opposition player by raising his forearm into his chest.
Is Lewis a key player for the All Whites?
Lewis made his debut for the All Whites long before he first played professional football, earning a call-up from then-coach Anthony Hudson in March 2015, shortly after his 18th birthday. He made his debut against South Korea in Seoul that month and after playing for New Zealand at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup on home soil later that year, he became a key figure for Hudson, featuring in 13 of the 19 matches he was available for from his debut and starting 12 of them. Lewis has been less central to the All Whites under their three coaches since Hudson – Fritz Schmid, Danny Hay and Darren Bazeley. He appeared just eight times in 20 matches under Schmid and Hay and while he has played in six of current coach Bazeley's 10 matches in charge, he has only been a starter once.
Why did Lewis leave the Phoenix?
Lewis joined Macarthur last year after playing 63 games across three seasons with the Phoenix. After inking the two-year deal, Lewis told Stuff there were two major factors behind the move to Australia; to play in Asia (Macarthur qualified for the AFC Cup) and to live in the same city as his partner after doing long distance for three years. “Three years is long enough as it is but we’re going to keep moving forward in the relationship we need to be living together,” Lewis said at the time. “Wellington is home but in terms of her work and what she wants to do it’s hard for her to work down here, so being in Sydney will be exciting for both of us.”
Who is Lewis’ partner?
Lewis is engaged to television broadcaster Narelle Sindos. Sindos worked as a reporter and presenter at Newshub in Auckland while Lewis played for the Phoenix in Wellington, but the couple moved to Sydney together when Lewis signed for Macarthur. Sindos currently works for Optus Sport. She was a reporter during last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup and is set to co-host the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024. Lewis proposed to Sindos during a holiday in Los Angeles last year.
Didn’t Dávila also play for the Phoenix?
The Mexican import was brought to the A-League by the Phoenix in 2019 and he quickly made a name for himself one of the competition’s best players. Dávila was the Phoenix’s top scorer with 12 goals in his first season and was appointed captain for the second. He was the joint winner of the Johnny Warren Medal, the award given to the A-League Men player of the season, in 2020-21. The Phoenix tabled what they said was a record offer to keep him at the club, but Dávila turned them down to sign with Macarthur.
What has New Zealand Football said since Lewis was arrested?
NZ Football released a brief statement to media on the day of Lewis’ arrest which was attributed to chief executive Andrew Pragnell. It read: “We're aware of the reports. 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.” NZ Football has not commented further.
How has Football Australia responded to the allegations?
Football Australia was quick to impose no fault interim suspensions on the three players, suspending them from participating in any football and club related activities in Australia. Football Australia chief executive James Johnson said it was “very troubling news for the Australian football community and beyond” and that the conduct that has been alleged “has no place in our game”. “The integrity of football in Australia is paramount, and we will not tolerate any actions that compromise it,“ Johnson added.
Have the Phoenix said anything about it?
News of the arrests broke a couple of hours after the Phoenix’s Giancarlo Italiano spoke at a pre-match press conference one day before their semi-final second leg against Melbourne Victory. Italiano was the assistant coach when Dávila and Lewis played for the Phoenix. Following their 2-1 defeat, Italiano was asked whether news of the players’ arrest had been a distraction on the eve of the Phoenix’s big game. “No not at all. We spoke about it yesterday [on Friday] but there was no talk or feeling in the group,” he said. Italiano was hesitant to comment further. “I know it’s very serious at the moment and something that jeopardises the integrity of the league … but it needs to be dealt with in the right way and I can make comment once the court makes a decision.”
Were Macarthur involved in the semifinals?
No. Macarthur’s season ended in the first round of the finals series, when they suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Sydney FC with 10 men in an elimination final after defender Kealy Adamson was sent off in the first half. Lewis played 57 minutes, but was withdrawn as part of a double substitution as soon as Sydney scored their third goal.
Has Lewis been in hot water before?
In February 2016, Lewis was found to have an excessive amount of Salbutamol, the medical name for Ventolin, in his system, following a New Zealand national league match for Auckland City. While the use of Ventolin inhalers to treat asthma is allowed, athletes must take care not to exceeded the allowable dose. The NZ Sports Tribunal found that there had been no significant fault from Lewis and handed him a one-month ban, at the low end of the possible range. After missing the All Whites' Oceania Nations Cup campaign in May and June that year as a result, he told Stuff: “I took my Ventolin because I wanted to breathe, which is pretty normal, but I didn't actually know you could have too much. Looking to the future I am going to have to manage it a lot better and make sure I do look at all the consequences'.
What will this mean for Lewis’ football career?
Lewis won’t be involved when the All Whites head to this year’s Oceania Nations Cup in Vanuatu next month, as he awaits his first court appearance at the end of June, but his entire playing career could be in jeopardy if he is found guilty. According to Football Australia’s sports betting and match manipulation guideline “fixing a match (or aspects of a match or competition) could result in serious consequences including a lifetime ban from all football related activities and possibly criminal sanctions”.