It’s Friday.

It was all about the A-League’s match-fixing scandal today - this story is still evolving, but we’re learning more by the hour about the allegations against four current players. It’s making headlines globally - is it too early to start thinking about the documentary that we’ll be watching on a streaming service down the line?

I’ve got 10 seconds

Quote of the day

“Sport and movement have the power to positively enrich the lives of a marginalised and disenfranchised group in society, and the findings of this report highlight that the time to realise this potential is now.” - An excerpt from a report funded by VicHealth into the participation of LGBTQI+ people in sport and physical activity.

Stat of the day

25,492
The number of spectators who watched NSW beat Queensland 22-12 at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium in the first NRLW State of Origin game for 2024. It was a record for women’s State of Origin.  

Random fact of the day

The world record for the most number of push-ups in one hour is 3,249, set by Australian Daniel Scali in November 2022. He broke a previous record also set by an Australian, Lucas Helmke. Only three of Scali’s push-ups were discounted because of improper form. 

I’ve got 1 minute

Australia’s men’s basketball team have announced their squad for the Paris Olympics. The Boomers won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021, losing to the U.S. (the eventual gold medallists) in the semi-final.

NBA stars

Several Australians play for teams in the NBA (the U.S. competition), including Patty Mills (Miami Heat), Joe Ingles (Orlando Magic) and Jock Landale (Houston Rockets). All of these NBA players will play in Australia’s national team for the Olympics. Oklahoma City Thunder star Josh Giddey and Dallas Maverick players Dante Exum and Josh Green will also join the squad for the first time.

Some players were also selected from Australia’s national basketball competition, the NBL, such as Will Magnay and Jack McVeigh (both Tasmania JackJumpers), and DJ Vasiljevic (Adelaide 36ers).

The road to Paris

From here, the squad will gather in Melbourne in late June to prepare for two friendly matches against China on the 2nd and 3rd of July. They will then travel to Abu Dhabi for matches against the U.S. and Serbia, before heading to Paris.

Their first game at the Olympics will take place on Saturday, 27 July.

I’ve got 2 minutes

Three A-League players were arrested in Sydney on Friday morning over an alleged corrupt betting scheme.

A-League is the highest level of professional men's soccer in Australia.

The names of the three players have not been published by NSW Police, but they are all “attached” to a club in southwestern Sydney. The only team based in southwestern Sydney is Macarthur FC.

NSW Police allege a senior player in the team was taking instructions from a man believed to be in South America to manipulate the number of yellow cards awarded during games.

In return, the players allegedly received a cut of the profits.

The police investigation began in December last year, with help from the United Kingdom Gambling Commission.

Further details

The games where yellow card manipulation allegedly occurred were in November and December 2023. Police say failed attempts were also made during matches in April and May 2024.

A 33-year-old player was arrested in South Coogee this morning, and is expected to be charged with engaging in corrupt betting conduct, and facilitating similar corrupt conduct.

A 27-year-old in Parramatta and a 32-year-old in West Hoxton were also arrested over allegations of corrupt betting conduct, allegedly coordinated by the South Coogee man.

FA statement

Football Australia said it’s aware of the three arrests, and is “fully cooperating” with police and law enforcement authorities. It offered no further comment.

The Professional Footballers’ Association – the union representing Australia’s footballers – said it’s aware of the arrests but hadn’t received confirmation on the identity of the players.

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