Ya gotta laugh, Sports betting on Yellow Cards and Swat arrives to arrest them. Overkill??
Holy crap! I thought you were joking!! Yeah looks like overkill all right. But it sends the right message.
It just dawned on me. Lewis - if proven guilty - has blown a chance to play at the next WC for $20k.
Also, I think it's important to recognise no one has been charged yet. Things are looking bad, and I don't think the authorities would have moved in this fashion if they didn't think they had a case, but still, let's see what happens next.
Re: Uli - How can anyone say they understand?? Yes he's a widower and that's super tough. But he's commanding more coin per year than most of us can dream about! He's been a professional footballer his whole life and if memory serves, he turned down a "blank cheque" from Welnix to go to greener (pun intended) pastures.
Unless there was some sort of duress at play, this needs to be a hefty if not a lifetime ban, sorry.
Also, should Lewis also be involved, to anyone thinking this might make NZF or football in NZ bad, I disagree. Yes, it's likely two players who are ex-Nix are involved. But how many ex-Nixers are there in total and who's been in trouble since? Disco Troy...and I'm struggling to think about anyone else.
Chris Killen, that former AW GK (EDIT: M. Utting, thanks Doloras) who took advantage of the disabled...people will do stupid or greedy stuff at some point in their life, but the responsibility is theirs and theirs alone.
ifill was betting on himself while at the nix
That's very true and in my view, also inexcusable. I guess we don't know the alleged motive behind Uli and Lewis' actions. Ifill said he was simply addicted to gambling.
Also he admitted to betting on himself winning or scoring (IIRC) which he shouldn't have done. But, if that is all he ever did, his actions wouldn't have changed the normal order of things, the way throwing a game or manipulating yellow cards etc would.
I got yelled at on Reddit for this take, but: you're in the twilight of your career, you're living far from home in a country where they don't speak your first language, your wife died, you're the single dad of a toddler, that's the kind of pileup of anxieties and disruptions that lead to making stupid or even criminal decisions
Oh I actually totally understand, I can't for a second imagine being in his shoes. Doesn't take away from the disappointment though. We all still love him and it's horrendous for him. It's shark that this had to break on the eve of our biggest ever game.
I got yelled at on Reddit for this take, but: you're in the twilight of your career, you're living far from home in a country where they don't speak your first language, your wife died, you're the single dad of a toddler, that's the kind of pileup of anxieties and disruptions that lead to making stupid or even criminal decisions
Oh I actually totally understand, I can't for a second imagine being in his shoes. Doesn't take away from the disappointment though. We all still love him and it's horrendous for him. It's shark that this had to break on the eve of our biggest ever game.
You have to wonder if it did have to break now.
Football season over, Uli may have been about to fly to Mexico? Surely Lewis was heading to his home town for tomorrow's game?
Travel plans like that may have forced the NSW cops to act.
And can understand the coppers covering their faces, as the reach of Sth American/Mexican criminal gangs (if that's who are involved) can be beyond our naive understanding.
If they are charged and found guilty they likely will face football bans. Possibly lifetime. So no point being in Australia even if they ain't deported??
If they are charged and found guilty they likely will face football bans. Possibly lifetime. So no point being in Australia even if they ain't deported??
I would assume Davila would rather raise his daughter in Australia than in Mexico
If they are charged and found guilty they likely will face football bans. Possibly lifetime. So no point being in Australia even if they ain't deported??
I would assume Davila would rather raise his daughter in Australia than in Mexico
Helps his asylum case! But you’d assume there was some kind of stick or threat as well to get him involved. Which might still be active.
If they are charged and found guilty they likely will face football bans. Possibly lifetime. So no point being in Australia even if they ain't deported??
I would assume Davila would rather raise his daughter in Australia than in Mexico
Family, food & culture are hugely important to Mexicans. Don't be sucked in by all the bad news stories. There are some great beautiful safe barrios in Mexico City, where the quality of life is as good as ours.
Oaxaca in the south a very popular expat hangout. I didn't visit Guadalajara where Davila is from, but yeah it does sound more dodgy dangerous there.
Who knows him & MAC may have been making post football, coaching type plans. Who knows. If guilty, anything like that is now up in smoke. From memory criminal convictions also make it very hard, to ever enter/reside in countries like the US (huge Mexican community) as well.
If they are charged and found guilty they likely will face football bans. Possibly lifetime. So no point being in Australia even if they ain't deported??
I would assume Davila would rather raise his daughter in Australia than in Mexico
Family, food & culture are hugely important to Mexicans. Don't be sucked in by all the bad news stories. There are some great beautiful safe barrios in Mexico City, where the quality of life is as good as ours.
Oaxaca in the south a very popular expat hangout. I didn't visit Guadalajara where Davila is from, but yeah it does sound more dodgy dangerous there.
Who knows him & MAC may have been making post football, coaching type plans. Who knows. If guilty, anything like that is now up in smoke. From memory criminal convictions also make it very hard, to ever enter/reside in countries like the US (huge Mexican community) as well.
My partner is from Brazil and I was lucky enough to spend 4 months there last year. For sure Brazil is dangerous but it's not like what the western media potrays it as, probably the same case for Mexico as well.
I would assume when convicted he will not be allowed in the UK, USA, Canada NZ, etc
If they are charged and found guilty they likely will face football bans. Possibly lifetime. So no point being in Australia even if they ain't deported??
I would assume Davila would rather raise his daughter in Australia than in Mexico
Family, food & culture are hugely important to Mexicans. Don't be sucked in by all the bad news stories. There are some great beautiful safe barrios in Mexico City, where the quality of life is as good as ours.
Oaxaca in the south a very popular expat hangout. I didn't visit Guadalajara where Davila is from, but yeah it does sound more dodgy dangerous there.
Who knows him & MAC may have been making post football, coaching type plans. Who knows. If guilty, anything like that is now up in smoke. From memory criminal convictions also make it very hard, to ever enter/reside in countries like the US (huge Mexican community) as well.
I mean Mexican match fixing kingpin with those police images is guna help correct all those stereotypes…
Compare that to Chris Cairns’ image here. Or Lou Vincent’s.
Cairns is a resurrected golden boy. Vincent an unfortunate rube. No one else was involved, anywhere…
Don’t kid ourselves. Corruption in NSW is a real thing. It’s a much tougher place than NZ. Though there’s more issues here than we like to let on too.
Also makes you wonder if Lewis and Davila (and maybe others….) match-fixed at the Phoenix. I mean it wasn’t long ago that they were turning out for us week in, week out.
Also makes you wonder if Lewis and Davila (and maybe others….) match-fixed at the Phoenix. I mean it wasn’t long ago that they were turning out for us week in, week out.
And there it is.
Spot fixing becomes match fixing. MacArthur becomes the Phoenix. Happy sell out fellas.
Plenty of folk will be only too happy to stick the boot in. We don’t have to do their work for them.
Also makes you wonder if Lewis and Davila (and maybe others….) match-fixed at the Phoenix. I mean it wasn’t long ago that they were turning out for us week in, week out.
And there it is.
Spot fixing becomes match fixing. MacArthur becomes the Phoenix. Happy sell out fellas.
Plenty of folk will be only too happy to stick the boot in. We don’t have to do their work for them.
Not saying it happened. It is just a distant thought that comes to mind.
Also makes you wonder if Lewis and Davila (and maybe others….) match-fixed at the Phoenix. I mean it wasn’t long ago that they were turning out for us week in, week out.
And there it is.
Spot fixing becomes match fixing. MacArthur becomes the Phoenix. Happy sell out fellas.
Plenty of folk will be only too happy to stick the boot in. We don’t have to do their work for them.
Not saying it happened. It is just a distant thought that comes to mind.
Yep. Let’s put a pin in it and circle back. Don’t get the splatter on our prom clothes gosh darnit!
Phoenix often won the fair play award and have the fewest fouls and cards in the league. There's a clip of commentators talking about how many cards MacArthur are getting this season I think this is a recent thing.
I am reminded that about 10 years ago I couldn't appreciate any Black Caps win because I wondered whether it was the work of shady Karachi betting syndicates
I am reminded that about 10 years ago I couldn't appreciate any Black Caps win because I wondered whether it was the work of shady Karachi betting syndicates
Turns out in retrospect we were mostly just shark lol.
I am reminded that about 10 years ago I couldn't appreciate any Black Caps win because I wondered whether it was the work of shady Karachi betting syndicates
Certainly for a time there any win over Pakistan, was taken with only half enjoyment and a sense it may not have been fully earned. The ICC identified a 1990s test win over Pakistan at ChCh as likely involving match fixing. Ninja above made an honest mistake confusing spot fixing for match fixing.
With today with you to say innocent until proven guilty, but I'm sure the NSW Police wouldn't have acted the way they have (if OTT), without sadly some very strong evidence.
Far more believable that Uli & co have just made some very very bad errors of judgement, rather than any wild nutty conspiracy theories. Sure there is corruption in the NSW Police, but they are going to look very silly & foolish if they acted this way, without a strong case. Nothing at all visibly for them to gain by the dramatic arrests of 3 innocents.
Edit - and look I don't sports gamble at all. Just not something that interests me in the slightest. So I just don't get the allure of betting on who would get a yellow card. The brutal part of me thinks that if your life has come down wasting money on something as trivially boring as that, you deserve to get ripped off, and some footballer to pocket a lazy $10K. "Gambling is a tax on stupidity" - Samuel Johnson.
But then the smarter part of me knows that the whole integrity of the game comes unwound, if this in a way seemingly trival stuff, is left unpunished.
"So I just don't get the allure of betting on who would get a yellow card. ". ""Gambling is a tax on stupidity"
As someone who likes to gamble on sport, I'll bite.
The allure is if you think the market is wrong you can make money (mostly in match betting as opposed to sharkty odds bookmakers will give you, where the vig is so high it's hard to find market inefficiencies). Don't assume everyone who bets on sports is stupid. Betting on sports exchanges isn't theoretically much different from trading stocks, you're just looking for an entry/exit based on what you think the real price should be.
With that said, fudge the guys who are ruining the integrity of the game. Assuming the allegations are true, I hope to never see DaVila or Lewis ever play football again.
I knew a guy who was quiet and diligent and the work social club had a poker game with a range of chocolates standing in for x thousand dollars. Good fun, right? Saw this dude’s hands start to shake a little and he said that if it wasn’t linked to real money then it was probably all right. The shaking stopped after a little and he got his composure back.
I didn’t see or ask much more than that, but it didn’t look like the gambling was fun for him anymore.
That’s the captive market these guys feed off- it’s an illness like alcoholism and bad, bad news. And sure there’s an in between where it’s light hearted and harmless.
But look at the way those other addictions alcohol and tobacco were advertised and compare it to the current model around gambling sponsorship and sport. It’s clearly not all fun from the dodgy way it’s promoted. EDIT- and in many countries it’s been illegal to gamble on many products up until very recently as well so that only fueled a generation’s slippery slope.
The result I remember from the cricket was when Brian Young and Shane Thompson hit test centuries in a massive partnership for a win. I think the doubts over that came waay too late to ruin the elation of that moment. Sorry, historical VAR. Ignorance being bliss and all that.
Seeing it in this news report takes some of the hyperbole and semi-final adjacent stress out of it. I haven’t seen if other outlets are as responsible, but this just makes it simple facts and takes some of the sting out of it for us Nix fans or at least for me, for the minute.
10 years seems ridiculously over the top for a crime like this (if it can be proved). I’m sure that would only be an option if considerably more money was involved and more instances of corruption occurred.
It seems almost wrong that when a person rips off a business (gambling company) the book is absolutely thrown at them but when a business rips off a person/doesn't pay tax etc there are seemingly slap on the hands, get out of jail free cards etc appearing at every step. Not saying the players shouldnt get punished, just a general commentary on the double standards of our laws.loyalgunner
10 years seems ridiculously over the top for a crime like this (if it can be proved). I’m sure that would only be an option if considerably more money was involved and more instances of corruption occurred.
It seems almost wrong that when a person rips off a business (gambling company) the book is absolutely thrown at them but when a business rips off a person/doesn't pay tax etc there are seemingly slap on the hands, get out of jail free cards etc appearing at every step. Not saying the players shouldnt get punished, just a general commentary on the double standards of our laws.loyalgunner
10 years seems ridiculously over the top for a crime like this (if it can be proved). I’m sure that would only be an option if considerably more money was involved and more instances of corruption occurred.
Society is unfair and humans are cods. This is not a groundbreaking discovery.
That's the thing. I totally agree that companies get away with murder and that we see terrible double standards (eg minorities getting hit hard for stealing food vs corporate cods getting bailed out/promoted/slapped on the wrist) for doing much worse.
But if they don't come hard on every instance of proven match manipulation, we will never know if the outcome of a game was influenced or not. I'm not naive and betting advertising has been a godsend for football, but I'd really like to see it much more strongly restricted.
Advertising of betting isn't the reason why this has happened, it is the moral deficiency of the players involved and the criminals engaging them to do what they're doing. As long as betting exists, no matter how well regulated, this sort of thing is possible.
The players all know the ramifications of what they were doing. Whether it's fair or not is beside the point, sports always go hard against this sort of behaviour and the players would have known that.
Davilla and Baucus are both at the end of their careers so are only throwing away a year or two, Lewis is in his prime, had at least 5 years of earning potential left and had a good chance of making a world cup. If he's guilty, then I hope it was worth it.
