West Ham and Brazil star Lucas Paquetá has been cleared of all charges relating to alleged spot-fixing in Premier League football matches.
Paquetá, 27, had faced a potentially career-ending 10-year ban after being accused of deliberately getting himself booked in games, collecting yellow cards to influence outcomes in the sports betting market.
A statement from his club West Ham confirmed that an Independent Regulatory Commission had cleared the player of all charges.
West Ham vice-chair Karen Brady said: “We are pleased Lucas has been cleared.
“He has maintained his innocence from the outset, and as a Club we have resolutely stood by him and supported him throughout the process.”
What Were The Charges Against Paqueta?
In May last year, Paquetá was officially charged by the English Football Association (FA) with four rule breaches around bookings which earned yellow cards, and he was the subject of two further charges of failing to comply with the investigation.
Although he hadn’t placed any bets himself, Paquetá was originally accused of spot-fixing the yellow-card market after a pattern of betting had been flagged up in Paqueta Island in Brazil, where he was born.
Paquetá has been allowed to continue to play for club and country, but has endured two years living under the cloud of suspicion as the FA had originally announced he was under investigation in the summer of 2023.
At that time, it was reported that the FA’s disclosure had ended Paquetá’s potential £80 million transfer to then champions Manchester City.
With the uncertainty surrounding his future it was believed that Manchester City regarded the move as too much of a risk.
In May 2023, Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney was suspended for eight months after placing bets on 232 football matches, contravening strict FA rules on gambling.
The potential punishment for deliberately affecting the outcome of bets could have been as severe as a lifetime ban, if found guilty.
Lucas Paqueta’s Reaction To Being Cleared
Paqueta expressed obvious relief and satisfaction with the commission’s findings.
“Since the first day of this investigation, I have maintained my innocence against these extremely serious accusations,” he said.
“I can’t say anything more at this time, but I would like to express how grateful I am to God and how eager I am to return to playing football with a smile on my face.
“To my wife who never let go of my hand, to West Ham United, to the fans who always cheered me on, and to my family, friends and the legal team who have supported me – thank you for everything.”
The Case Brought By The FA
The FA originally charged Paquetá in May 2024, releasing the following statement: “West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta has been charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of FA Rules E5 and F3.
“The player has been charged with four breaches of FA Rule E5.1 in relation to his conduct in the club’s Premier League fixtures against Leicester City on 12 November 2022; Aston Villa on 12 March 2023; Leeds United on 21 May 2023; and AFC Bournemouth on 12 August 2023.
“It’s alleged that he directly sought to influence the progress, conduct, or any other aspect of, or occurrence in these matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market in order for one or more persons to profit from betting.
“Lucas Paquetá has also been charged with two breaches of FA Rule F3 in respect of alleged failures to comply pursuant to FA Rule F2.”
The FA revealed today that Paquetá would still face charges of refusing to co-operate properly with the investigation.
An official FA statement confirmed: “Lucas Paquetá was charged with two breaches of FA Rule F3 in relation to alleged failures to comply with his obligations to answer questions and provide information to The FA’s investigation.
“Lucas Paquetá denied the charges against him, but the Regulatory Commission found them to be proven following the hearing.
“The Regulatory Commission will decide an appropriate sanction for these breaches at the earliest opportunity.
“The FA awaits the Regulatory Commission’s written reasons in relation to its decisions on the charges, and will not be commenting further until that time.”
Jim Munro is a betting industry and gambling expert who has been a national newspaper journalist for over 30 years, predominantly at The Sunday Times and The Sun, where he wrote a weekly soccer betting column. Jim also worked on the launch of Virgin Bet with Gamesys and was subsequently head of editorial at LiveScore, the sports media and betting group.
