Lucas Paqueta’s Fate Hangs In Balance As FA Prepares Final Verdict

‎Lucas Paquetá has faced a shadow over his career for the past two years after being charged last May with four counts of deliberately getting booked to influence betting markets.

‎The 27-year-old West Ham midfielder is now set to learn in the coming days that he has been cleared of spot-fixing allegations.

‎His potential ban now appears unlikely, which could be a significant relief for him.

‎The Football Association also charged the Brazilian player with failing to cooperate during the investigation, which began in August 2023.

‎The inquiry related to the four yellow cards he received in Premier League matches for West Ham between November 2022 and August 2023. Had he been found guilty of these charges, he could have faced a lifetime ban.

‎What the charges have caused

‎Paquetá was close to an £85 million transfer to Manchester City when the investigation began, but the deal collapsed after West Ham informed City about the circumstances.

‎Since then, he has “been living this nightmare for two years,” as his wife, Maria Fournier, described.

‎It seems that the nightmare is nearing its end. A regulatory commission scheduled to hear the case on March 17, with a verdict expected in early June, and it is believed that the decision has been favorable for Paquetá.

‎The midfielder, who joined West Ham from Lyon for a club-record £51 million in August 2022, now appears to be cleared of the charges.

‎He has always maintained his innocence and has been supported by West Ham, arguing he knew nothing about the bets placed on him and that the FA’s evidence was circumstantial.

‎“I am extremely surprised and upset that the FA has decided to charge me,” Paquetá said upon hearing of the charges in May last year.

‎“For nine months, I have cooperated with every step of their investigation and provided all the information I can. I deny the charges in their entirety and will fight with every breath to clear my name.”

‎How he accumulate the charges

‎Three of the yellow cards that drew suspicion came in the 2022-23 season, the first for a late tackle on Leicester’s Boubakary Soumaré in a 2-0 home defeat in November 2022. West Ham were 1-0 down at the time of the offence in the 60th minute.

‎The second was for a scything foul on Aston Villa’s John McGinn in the 70th minute of a 1-1 home draw in March 2023. It was 1-1 at the time, and the third was for a trip on Leeds’s Crysencio Summerville to stop a counterattack.

‎It was the 65th minute and the score at the London Stadium was 1-1. West Ham would win 3-1.

‎The authorities were alerted to unusual betting patterns, and the turning point came during the first game of the following season.

‎In that match against Bournemouth, Paquetá received a booking in stoppage time with the score tied at 1-1, which was also the final result. Once again, the authorities detected more suspicious betting activity associated with the game.

‎Most of the suspicious bets were linked to Paquetá Island, located off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, where Paquetá was born and which he named after himself.

‎Around 60 bets were made predicting he would receive a yellow card in the affected matches. A source familiar with the FA’s investigation stated that one of the bets was for £7, while the largest was for £400.

‎It is understood that Paquetá himself did not place any of these bets.