A Malaysian man and two English soccer players have admitted to fixing matches in Melbourne as part of an international syndicate.

Alleged ringleader Segaran Subramaniam, 45, of Malaysia, pleaded guilty today to a single charge of engaging in conduct that corrupts or could corrupt the outcome of a betting event, the Australian Associated Press ( AAP ) reported.

Subramaniam will face a plea hearing in April over accusations he conspired to fix five Southern Stars games here between July and September this year.

Defender Reiss Noel and goalkeeper Joe Woolley, both 24, were meanwhile convicted and fined today after they admitted helping to fix games while playing for the Southern Stars in the semi-professional Victorian Premier League.

Magistrate Jack Vandersteen fined Woolley A$1,200 for his part in fixing three matches, while Noel received a A$2,000 fine for helping to fix four games.

Vandersteen said the offence was serious, but conceded the two men had no idea about the wider implications of their conduct.

Prosecutor Peter Rose told the Melbourne magistrate’s court that Woolley and Noel were skilled players who had manipulated the results of games according to instructions.

“They were able to change the results of the games with some ease,” AAP quoted Rose as saying.

He said both players had made a full admission about their conduct and did not make much money out of the scheme.

Defence lawyer Anthony Brand said the two players were “expendable” parts of the syndicate’s “hit-and-run” operation in Australia.

Brand said the scheme was well-orchestrated but clumsy in its execution, with people seen to be yelling suspicious instructions from the sidelines during Southern Stars matches.

He told the court the instructions to fix matches would be passed through team manager Zia Younan.

Younan, 36, and English Southern Stars players David Obaze, 23, and Nicholas McKoy, 27, have been charged with match-fixing offences, and will return to the magistrate’s court in Melbourne on Dec 20.

- Bernama