Lucas Paqueta set to be cleared of FA spot-fixing charges

Times

25-07-2025

Lucas Paquetá is set to be cleared of charges of spot-fixing in what would be a sensational victory for West Ham United's Brazilian midfielder.
The 27-year-old was facing the threat of a lengthy ban that could have ended his career after being charged by the FA with deliberately getting himself booked in four Premier League matches.
Sources with knowledge of the case have told The Times that the player is understood to have been cleared by an independent regulatory commission, with the decision due to be announced next week.
The FA could be facing the prospect of picking up the costs of Paquetá's legal fees which could be as much as £1million. The FA and West Ham have declined to comment.
Paquetá had always denied any wrongdoing, and said in a statement in May last year: 'I am extremely surprised and upset that the FA has decided to charge me. 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. Due to the ongoing process, I will not be providing any further comment.'
The midfielder was charged in May last year by the FA with deliberately getting yellow cards in matches against Leicester City, Aston Villa, Leeds United and Bournemouth during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
The charges resulted in Manchester City pulling out of an expected bid for the player by meeting a £85million release clause in his contract. West Ham are now expected to be in a position where they will have a decision to make about whether to keep the midfielder or sell him to earn a transfer fee.
The original FA charges alleged that Paquetá got himself deliberate yellow cards so that 'one or more persons' could profit financially from betting on him being booked, though there was never any suggestion in the charges that he was benefiting himself financially or had bet on games.
Paquetá, who earns a reported £150,00-a-week, was charged with being deliberately booked against Leicester for a lunge on Boubakary Soumaré, against Aston Villa for a late tackle on John McGinn, against Leeds United for a challenge on Crysencio Summerville and against Bournemouth at the start of the 2023-24 season for handball.
Paquetá, who was represented by Nick De Marco KC, was the first Premier League player to be charged with spot-fixing. It is understood that although the FA did not seek a lifetime ban, a guilty verdict would have led to him being banned from football worldwide for many years.
Betting firms allow punters to gamble on whether a player is booked in a match, but Paquetá had denied the charges.
There had also been allegations that a fellow Brazilian, Luiz Henrique, was involved in spot-fixing for one match on the same day as Paquetá when he was playing for Real Betis in Spain's La Liga but the Spanish FA did not bring any charges and he denied any wrongdoing.
In 2022, the FA imposed a ten-year ban on a former Reading defender, Kynan Isaac, for spot-fixing by getting deliberately booked in an FA Cup tie in which he played in for Southern Premier League side Stratford Town. He was given a further 18-month ban for betting offences, and 12 more months for not cooperating.
In 2018, Lincoln City's defender Bradley Wood was banned for six years for two spot-fixing offences during the FA Cup. An FA regulatory commission said Wood would have been banned for life had the offence affected the outcome of the game.