Three Macarthur FC players have been suspended from the A-League after being charged over an alleged betting scandal.

Football Australia issued no fault suspensions on Friday night for Macarthur captain Ulises Dávila and his teammates Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus.

The trio were arrested in dawn raids on Friday after the NSW Police Organised Crime Squad Gaming Unit launched an investigation into the alleged manipulation of yellow cards during football games for gambling purposes.

Police will allege detectives discovered Mr Dávila, 33, had been taking instructions from a man — believed to be in South America — to organise yellow cards to occur during certain points in A-League games.

It is alleged Mr Davila then recruited Mr Lewis and Mr Baccus to participate by paying them $10,000.

‘Troubling news for Australian football’

In a statement issued on Friday night, Football Australia said the players had been suspended “to safeguard the integrity and reputation of the sport while the players face legal proceedings”.

“This is very troubling news for the Australian football community and beyond,” CEO James Johnson said.

“The conduct that has been alleged has no place in our game.

“We will do everything we can to get to the bottom of it and no stone will be left unturned.”

The statement also said the players would be “provided with the necessary support”.

The alleged offending occurred during games between November 24 and December 9 last year.

Mr Dávila received a yellow card during Macarthur FC’s game against Melbourne Victory on November 24 and another yellow card during his side’s match against Sydney FC on December 9.

Failed attempts to allegedly control the number of cards issued during games happened between April 20 and May 4 this year.

Three players granted bail

Mr Dávila has been charged with a number of offences, including two counts of engage in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event and facilitating conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event.

He played as an attacking midfielder and was the first Mexican to sign with English Premier League club Chelsea in 2011.

He recently signed on for another two years at Macarthur FC.

Mr Lewis and Mr Baccus have both been charged with participating in a criminal group and engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcomes of an event.

All three players were granted bail by police on Friday and will face court in the coming weeks.

Police said a fourth player who is currently “out of state” is also wanted for questioning over the alleged betting scandal.