Ex-Western United midfielder Riku Danzaki and amateur player Yuta Hirayama were each handed $5000 fines today.

The duo had requested leniency to avoid conviction for the month-long scheme, where Hirayama placed wagers on Danzaki intentionally drawing yellow cards.

However, magistrate Nick Goodenough decided to convict both men to ensure others were “deterred and discouraged from doing the same thing”.

He said the offences “strike at the heart of competitive sport”.

“Fans, fellow players, and coaching staff deserve assurance that every team member aims for a unified goal,” Goodenough addressed the Melbourne Magistrates Court.

“Teams win, teams lose, teams draw, but on any given day, either team has a chance.

“What you have both done is a betrayal of that ideal and that trust.”

They admitted guilt to seven charges of betting corruption, including actions that taint a betting result and an attempt at betting deception.

Fraudulent bets were placed through platforms such as Bet365 and Tabcorp, with Danzaki earning roughly $16,000 from three games by purposely getting yellow cards.

The pair made successful bets on Western United matches on April 27, May 3, and May 9, once Danzaki informed Hirayama he would deliberately try to receive yellow cards in the games.

Hirayama placed bets on Danzaki in the “player to be booked” market and Danzaki went on to perform reckless tackles on opposition players to get carded.

They also failed at placing bets on another match involving Melbourne City.

Hirayama and Danzaki agreed to split their winnings, with 70 per cent to go to the then-A-League player.

“Although your roles are different, I’m of the view that you are equally liable for the totality of the offending,” Goodenough said.

“This type of offending undermines the integrity of sport, and it undermines the legal betting markets.”

Both had moved to Australia from Japan to further their soccer careers.

They met while playing for teams in Queensland, with Danzaki signed to Brisbane Roar in the A-League and Hirayama playing for Brisbane City in the state’s premier league.

Both later moved to Melbourne, where Danzaki joined former A-League club Western United in mid-2023.

His lawyer claimed at an earlier hearing that when Danzaki started playing for Western United, the embattled club was already under “significant financial strain” and was not paying players on time.

“It is in this context … that Mr Danzaki makes a very foolish decision,” defence lawyer Lewis Winter said, adding that Western United has since gone into administration with their A-League licence revoked.

Hirayama’s lawyer, Molly Deighton, said her client, who was suspended from Bayside Argonauts in Melbourne, wanted to stay in Australia but his student visa may be impacted if he was convicted.

Both lawyers asked the magistrate to take into account their early guilty pleas and admissions to police as soon as the fraud was uncovered, as well as their good character and lack of priors.