West Ham's Paquetá in limbo as spot-fixing hearing adjourned until summer
Lucas Paquetá faces a frustrating wait as he fights a possible life ban over Football Association spot-fixing charges because the case will not finish until June at the earliest.
The independent panel presiding over the hearing did not conclude proceedings in the initial allotted three-week slot, that ended last Friday, because of its complexity. The case has been adjourned.
Owing to the lawyers' other commitments, it is understood the hearing will not resume until June, leaving Paquetá in limbo. The Brazilian withdrew from World Cup qualifiers against Argentina and Colombia last month so he could take part in the hearing but has made himself available for West Ham and played all of their Premier League games against Wolves and Bournemouth last week.
West Ham are backing Paquetá and are unhappy with the FA's handling of the most high-profile corruption case in English football since Bruce Grobbelaar was acquitted of conspiring to fix five Premier League games in a criminal trial 27 years ago. The club had asked the FA to put back Paquetá's hearing until the summer to avoid disrupting their season.
West Ham sources have expressed frustration that Paquetá has experienced the worst of both worlds, with a hearing that began on 17 March not concluding until the summer. There could be a further delay if Paquetá is found guilty and a separate hearing is required to determine the punishment.
The case could overshadow another summer transfer window for West Ham. Manchester City had agreed to pay £80m for Paquetá in August 2023 but pulled out after it emerged the FA was investigating suspicious betting patterns surrounding four bookings he had received in the preceding nine months.
Paquetá was charged with four counts of spot-fixing and two of obstructing an FA investigation in May 2024 after allegations that he was deliberately booked in Premier League games to earn money for family and friends in Brazil. He strongly denied wrongdoing.
'I am extremely surprised and upset that the FA has decided to charge me,' he said. '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'
The FA has alleged that Paquetá 'directly sought to influence … 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'. The charge sheet is understood to include the recommendation of a life ban if he is found guilty.
The FA and West Ham declined to comment.
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