Lucas Paquetá spot-fixing trial ends but West Ham unhappy over wait for verdict
Lucas Paquetá has denied wrongdoing and said he was 'extremely surprised and upset' to have been charged.
Lucas Paquetá has denied wrongdoing and said he was 'extremely surprised and upset' to have been charged. Photograph:Lucas Paquetá's spot-fixing trial has finally concluded but the West Ham midfielder has been told he must wait four to eight weeks for a verdict.
The Brazil international faces a possible life ban from football after being charged by the Football Association with four counts of being deliberately booked to influence betting markets and two of failing to cooperate with its investigation.
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The matter cost Paquetá an £80m transfer to Manchester City two years ago, after the FA opened an investigation, having received information regarding suspicious betting patterns surrounding bookings he had got in four Premier League matches.
Paquetá was charged by the FA in May 2024 after a 10-month investigation but the disciplinary proceedings have been beset by delays, to the frustration of the player and his club. The independent commission presiding over the case began the hearing in March but proceedings were adjourned after three weeks because lawyers on both sides had other engagements.
The hearing resumed last month. West Ham are unhappy that the matter appears likely to drag for at least another month and disrupt another transfer window, leaving their head coach, Graham Potter, uncertain over whether a key player will be part of his squad next season.
Paquetá has denied wrongdoing and has received the strong backing of his club. Sources who have given evidence to the commission and watched all of the proceedings have expressed confidence that the hearing has gone well from Paquetá's point of view, but there is concern at West Ham that the commission can determine guilt based on 'the balance of probabilities' rather than needing to meet the criminal threshold of being convinced 'beyond reasonable doubt'.
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Paquetá was charged after allegations that he was deliberately booked to earn money for family and friends in Brazil.
'I am extremely surprised and upset that the FA has decided to charge me,' he said at the time, his only public comments on the case. '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 alleges 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 FA's charge sheet is understood to include the recommendation of a life ban if he is found guilty.
The FA declined to comment.
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