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Australian soccer players banned over spot-fixing gambling offenses

SYDNEY (AP) — Football Australia has banned former Western United player Riku Danzaki for seven years and ex-Macarthur FC pair Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus for at least four years over spot-fixing gambling offenses in the A-League.

In August, Japanese footballer Danzaki was convicted and fined, along with amateur player Yuta Hirayama, for committing yellow card betting fraud. Hirayama would place bets on Danzaki deliberately receiving yellow cards.

Danzaki and Hirayama have been banned for seven years, backdated to June 1, when they were both issued no-fault interim suspensions, Football Australia said Friday.

In September, Baccus and Lewis were handed two-year conditional release orders, similar to a good behavior bond, and avoided convictions after pleading guilty to engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event.

The pair admitted being paid 10,000 Australian dollars ($6,600) each by former club captain Ulises Davila to deliberately earn yellow cards at a match in December 2023.

They were also required to repay the money they received for getting the yellow cards as a fine.

Davila in October pleaded guilty to facilitating and engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event and is awaiting sentencing.

Football Australia said all four players have accepted their respective punishments and won’t appeal.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Australian court bans man from contacting Norwegian princess studying in Sydney

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A 63-year-old man was banned on Wednesday from contacting Norway's Princess Ingrid Alexander or her family for two years as she studies at a university in Australia. David James Cook appeared in court where he was issued with a two-year Apprehended Violence Order that prevents him from entering the Sydney University campus, searching the 22-year-old royal online or contacting her or her family. Such orders are intended to prevent an individual from subjecting another person to acts of violence, intimidation or harassment. Cook told reporters as he left the Newtown Court House, in Sydney, that the order stemmed from a card he sent to Ingrid, who is second in line to the Norwegian throne.
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