Lucas Paqueta has been charged with breaching betting rules by the English FA, and could be banned for up to ten years if found guilty. The player has released an emotional statement denying the allegations, and West Ham United have supported their player publicly too.
The Brazilian has been charged with getting booked intentionally in four games, namely, against Leicester in November 2022, Aston Villa in March 2023, Leeds in May 2023 and Bournemouth on the opening day of this season.
Lucas Paqueta charged with breaching betting rules
🚨🇧🇷 OFFICIAL: Lucas Paquetá has been charged by English FA with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of FA Rules E5 and F3.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 23, 2024
“It’s alleged that he directly sought to influence the progress, conduct, or any other aspect of, or occurrence in these matches by intentionally… pic.twitter.com/43UsRwUkvL
The FA were informed by integrity officers, who noticed an increasing number of bets placed on the player being booked in Paqueta Island, where the Brazilian was born. As a result, they have opened a spot fixing investigation against the midfielder.
He hasn’t been charged with betting itself, which has already resulted in lengthy bans for Ivan Toney and Sandro Tonali.
The charges are serious, considering he influenced the events of the match “for one or more persons to profit” as per the charges. And he has until June 3 to respond to the charges.
“I’m extremely surprised and upset the FA has decided to charge me,” Lucas Paqueta said in a statement.
“For nine months, I have co-operated 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.
“Due to the ongoing process, I will not be providing further comment.”
