Ulises Davila confessed that he is facing a legal process after being accused of allegedly fixing yellow cards in football matches to benefit gamblers.
Through a video posted on social media, the Mexican player said he hopes his legal situation will be resolved as soon as possible.
"I dared to make this video," he said. "Part of it is to thank you all for so much support. I want to tell you that I am fine, with strength and motivation. We are going through a legal process, hoping it will be resolved in the best way. We are still fighting."
The former captain of Macarthur Bulls, Davila, along with midfielders Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis, were accused last year of manipulating yellow cards during matches played in the 2023 and 2024 A-League seasons.
Davila, 33, allegedly acted as the conduit between the southwest Sydney team's players and a Columbian criminal known as 'J Col', organising for the cards to occur during certain games.
Baccus, 33, and Lewis, 27, plead guilty to engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event.
"I wanted to make this video before a thousand things start coming out," Davila added in the video. "I want to reiterate that we are full of motivation for life and that part of maturity, and what life has taught us with some setbacks, is acceptance and resilience.
"It hasn't been easy, but facing life as it is has helped us move forward."
In July this year, a second charge of participating in a criminal group was dropped against both midfielders, who are scheduled to return to court in September for sentencing.
They agreed they had been paid $10,000 each by Ulises Davila to deliberately earn the referee-issued disciplinary cautions for foul play at a match in December 2023.
Davila, the alleged local ringleader of the criminal group behind the betting corruption, has not yet entered pleas to the nine charges against him.
"We are still in that process, we are still in the fight," Davila said.
Information from AAP was used in the writing of this report.