Lucas Paquetá is expected to learn in the coming days that he has been cleared of spot-fixing, removing a shadow that has hung over him for two years and stood to wreck his career. The 27-year-old West Ham midfielder faced a lengthy ban after being charged in May last year with four counts of deliberately getting himself booked to influence betting markets so that friends and family members might benefit.
The Football Association also brought two charges against the Brazilian of failing to cooperate with the investigation, which opened in August 2023 and related to four yellow cards that he received for West Ham in Premier League matches between November 2022 and August 2023. He could have faced a life ban if found guilty.
Paquetá was on the brink of an £85m move to Manchester City when the investigation was started – it fell down when West Ham briefed City about the situation – and he has since “been living this nightmare for two years” in the words of his wife, Maria Fournier.
It appears that nightmare is almost over. A regulatory commission finally convened to hear the case on 17 March, retiring to consider its verdict in early June, and it is understood it has delivered a favourable verdict for Paquetá, who cost West Ham a club-record £51m when he joined from Lyon in August 2022. He has always maintained his innocence and 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.”
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.
Quick Guide
How do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?
Show
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for ‘The Guardian’.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
Thank you for your feedback.
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 had been alerted to suspicious betting patterns and the tipping point for them came in the first game of the following season when Paquetá was booked in stoppage-time at Bournemouth with the score 1-1, which is how the game would end. Again, more suspicious betting activity was detected.
Most of the suspicious bets were traced to Paquetá Island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, where Paquetá was born and from which he takes his name. About 60 bets were placed on him to be shown a yellow card in the games in question. A source with knowledge of the FA’s investigation said that one of the bets was for £7, with the highest £400. Paquetá did not place any bets himself.