Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder appears in Australian court

Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Kearyn Baccus has appeared in court in Australia on charges of alleged spot-fixing with regards to yellow cards in the A-League.

The 32-year-old, who was born in Durban but moved to Australia with his family as a youngster, is alleged to have received payments from club skipper Ulises Davila to pick up yellow cards in matches played late last year.

He appeared in a Sydney court along with New Zealander Clayton Lewis after the trio were arrested last month.

It is a similar charge laid by the Premier League in England against West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta, that could see the latter banned for anything up to a decade. The Brazilian maintains he is innocent.

Baccus currently plays for A-League side Macarthur FC and is alleged to have intentionally been booked in order to help unnamed punters win bets on the number of yellow cards issued in games. His case was adjourned to June 24.

Baccus spent three seasons at Chiefs between 2019 and 2022, and made 58 appearances for the club in that time. He only received six yellow cards in his entire stay at Naturena.

However, in the two seasons he has spent at Macarthur since, he has been credited with 17 yellow cards and a red.

His younger brother Keanu, also born in Durban, is a current Australia international midfielder and has recently joined English League One side Mansfield Town from St Mirren in Scotland.