Lucas Paquetá and West Ham can move on from spot-fixing case ‘nightmare'

The Guardian

21 hours ago

Almost a thousand days have passed since Lucas Paquetá was shown a yellow card for a late challenge on Leicester's Boubakary Soumaré in a tame home defeat for West Ham in November 2022, an otherwise inconsequential booking that triggered an extraordinary chain of events that left the Brazilian fighting for his career.
As Paquetá's lawyer noted after he was cleared of spot-fixing on Thursday, Paquetá has shown more spirit and resilience during his two-year legal battle with the Football Association than his teammates managed that afternoon, although even after being exonerated in the most high-profile corruption case to hit English football since the Bruce Grobbelaar match-fixing trial three decades ago, the West Ham midfielder's victory feels somewhat pyrrhic.
Paquetá has lost an £85m transfer to Manchester City that would have brought him millions and the chance to be part of the club's Premier League title success of 2023-24. This is due to the FA integrity department's decision, following an investigation than began in August 2023, that apparently unusual betting patterns surrounding four yellow cards for the 27-year-old were sufficient to charge him with spot-fixing. West Ham also lost a huge transfer fee, so it is little wonder they are considering legal action against the FA and will certainly push hard for the governing body to cover costs estimated at around £1m for the player and club.
West Ham are angry that the case has taken so long to conclude. With two years left on his contract, Paquetá retains value, but given many Premier League clubs have profit and sustainability rules (PSR) issues, and there are only four weeks left in the transfer window, selling him this summer will be challenging, even though he has been cleared.
The FA's investigators were hindered by difficulties in obtaining evidence from Brazil, and it took nine months of digging before charges were issued in May 2024. But the case has been beset by delays throughout. After Paquetá was charged West Ham lobbied for the hearing to be expedited. It did not begin until March this year and was adjourned, finally concluding at the beginning of June. West Ham have consequently faced uncertainty over Paquetá's position for three summer transfer windows, while the player has been in turmoil, particularly after learning that the FA was pushing for a life ban.
Several staff members at West Ham have told the Guardian that Paquetá's demeanour has barely altered at the training ground over the last two years despite the severity of the charges, although a source who knows him personally said the case has taken its toll. That was clear when he burst into tears after being booked in a Premier League game against Tottenham in May, which led to his wife, Maria Fournier, writing on Instagram that the family had 'been living this nightmare for two years'.
The high stakes for Paquetá contrast with the modest amounts wagered in the allegedly corrupt bets. Around 60 bets were placed on Paquetá to be shown a yellow card in four Premier League games in 2022 and 2023, with the claim being that he was deliberately booked to make money for family and friends. A source with knowledge of the FA's investigation said one of the bets was for £7, with the highest £400.
While Paquetá's problems began with the Soumaré yellow card, it was subsequent bookings against Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth in 2023 that led to the investigation. The fouls in each case were a lunge at John McGinn, pulling Crysencio Summerville's shirt and a handball in an aerial challenge, offences that his legal team argued were symptomatic of his carelessness, rather than being deliberate.
The initial investigation into Paquetá's behaviour was conducted by the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), which received an integrity alert after several bookmakers in Brazil reported an unusual number of bets on Paquetá to be booked during the Villa game on 12 March 2023. The majority of the suspicious bets were traced to Paquetá Island, an idyllic, 0.5sq mile beach paradise off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, where Paquetá was born and from which he takes his name. Ironically, most of the money staked on Paquetá to be booked used accounts with Betway, which at the time was West Ham's shirt sponsor. The concern of integrity officials was heightened by the fact most of the money came from new accounts.
The FA's investigation was triggered by the booking Paquetá received at Bournemouth in West Ham's opening game of the following season, the fourth foul he had conceded that afternoon. The referee Peter Bankes's report noted that he had booked Paquetá for 'persistent infringement', which along with the number of bets placed on him to be cautioned was enough to trigger a formal probe.
Much of Paquetá's defence is believed to have centred on his claim that he asked the then West Ham manager, David Moyes, not to play him at Bournemouth for fear of jeopardising the City move, which they argue demonstrated his booking could not have been premeditated. Moyes is understood to have supported this version of events, and given evidence to the independent commission on Paquetá's behalf.
Paquetá's lead counsel, Nick De Marco KC, is also understood to have produced betting data showing that Paquetá frequently attracts a statistically unusual volume of bets to be booked, which they attribute to his poor disciplinary record. Paquetá's legal team also showed the panel Paquetá's entire disciplinary history, arguing that he has consistently conceded more free-kicks than his teammates throughout his career, which they argued increased the chances of him being booked.
The publication of the independent commission's written reasons, which are not expected for a number of weeks, will reveal more about a fascinating case, and may make awkward reading for the FA.