The representative sought another meeting with the player about engaging in match-fixing for their match against Moreton City Excelsior on June 25, by which stage the new players would be available.
This time, the player secretly used his phone to record the conversation.
This masthead has not heard the recording, but sources say that the player was told how much he would be paid for taking part, and that the scheme would not be discussed prior to the match but rather that signals would be used during it to let him know when he had to act.
โWeโll show you how to do it,โ the player was told, according to sources.
The player also took detailed notes about who he had met and where during this period, which has assisted police in their investigation.
Days later, before Gold Coast Unitedโs match against Brisbane Olympic on June 22, the player told the rest of the team about what he had been asked to do, leaving some of them in tears. They played that match despite the emotional toll of the revelations, losing 2-1; the Moreton City Excelsior game was to take place three days later, but an announcement that it would be postponed was made at around 1pm on the day of the match on advice from Football Australia and Football Queensland, who by that stage had been fully informed.
Clive Palmer during his time with Gold Coast United.Credit: Getty Images
FA subsequently passed on the information to the police and Sports Integrity Australia.
A spokesperson for SIA said it was a matter for Queensland Police. A spokesperson for Queensland Police confirmed initial inquiries were being made into a matter regarding a Gold Coast-based sports team after receiving initial information from a federal government agency.
Gold Coast United released a statement last week, acknowledging that investigations were ongoing, that the club was cooperating with authorities, and that it was unable to comment as a result.
โWe understand there may be questions, and we are committed to providing clarity as soon as it is appropriate and permissable to do so,โ the club statement said.
The pending takeover of the club by the Chinese company has since fallen through, and their representatives have not been sighted by players since, sources say.
Gold Coast United joined the A-League in 2009 and were bankrolled by Palmer but folded in 2012 after he was stripped of the clubโs licence by Football Federation Australia. A separate ownership group then resurrected the club five years later, and the team resumed playing in 2018 as part of the Queensland NPL. Club leaders have since been searching for a way to bring United back to national competition.
Fraser Hills, a member of the current Gold Coast United squad, said the situation had โgenuinely shaken our clubโ.
โWe were told early on [in the season] new investors were coming in,โ Hills said, speaking on his podcastย B On The Ball.
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โBig promises, big plans and with that came a shot of the new B-League [Australian Championship] set-up. Theyโve been around for months, watching, learning and assessing.
โBut then Friday happened: 13 boys told to leave the club, just like that. Gone. No sit-down, no clarity, just thanks and goodbye. And this wasnโt the fringe players, this was some of the best players in the league, boys who really wanted to play for the shirt.
โAnd then it got worse. The day of the game, the word spreads that one of our own has been approached to match-fix. He did the right thing, reported it, the club escalated it to Football Queensland and Football Australia and now thereโs a full investigation underway.
โI wonโt say more on that, weโll let the process play out, but that week tore the heart out of the club. It was chaos, sadness and confusion.โ
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