Lucas Paqueta ESCAPES lifetime ban as West Ham star learns fate in betting charges probe
The West Ham star has played for two years while allegations of being deliberately yellow carded hung over his head.
2
Lucas Paqueta has escaped a lifetime ban after his betting probe
Credit: Getty
2
He netted for West Ham last night against Everton
Credit: Getty
It was alleged that
A guilty verdict could have seen the 27-year-old slapped with a lifetime ban from football.
However, West Ham have now confirmed that the Brazilian has been
CLEARED
.
A statement read: "West Ham United can confirm that an independent Regulatory Commission has cleared Lucas Paquetá of misconduct charges made against him by the Football Association for alleged breaches of FA rule E5.
READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
"The club has stood by Lucas since the very start of a long and difficult process."
Paqueta has thanked all those who supported him throughout the process.
He said: "Since the first day of this investigation, I have maintained my innocence against these extremely serious accusations.
"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.
Most read in Football
"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.'
Paqueta already appeared to have the weight lifted from his shoulders in West Ham's 2-1 pre-season win over Everton.
He poked home the Hammers' equaliser during the Premier League Summer Series clash.
The former Lyon man celebrated the goal, pointing up to the sky and shared a picture of the moment on Instagram with the caption "God" and a love heart emoji.
Idrissa Gueye netted the Toffees' opener before Paqueta's goal which was followed by a winner by Niklas Fullkrug.
More to follow...
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video
.
Like us on Facebook at
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
14 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
I'm still traumatised & needed antidepressants – Tinder Swindler's victims reveal how life is now 10 years on
A DECADE has passed since Cecilie Fjellhoy and Pernilla Sjoholm's lives were turned around by a man they knew as Simon Leviev. Posing as a billionaire diamond heir, he conned them an 8 Simon Leviev used Tinder to seduce and con women out of an estimated £7.4 million Credit: Instagram 8 Pernilla Sjoholm and Cecilie Fjellhoy – victims of tinder swindler Simon Leviev Credit: Pernilla Sjoholm Instagram 8 Tinder Swindler boasts luxury lifestyle with flash vehicles Credit: While the Netflix documentary "I'm still traumatised," Cecilie, 36, tells She reveals that 'no victim' should be placed into a courtroom and be forced to defend themselves. Between 2017 and 2019, he posed as Simon, a 31-year-old and the fictional son of billionaire Lev Leviev, to swindle women all over Europe. READ MORE ON TINDLER SWINDLE After changing his name from Shimon Hayut, Simon Leviev used Tinder to seduce and con women out of an estimated £7.4 million. He falsely claimed to be the son of Leviev was a wanted man in several European countries, having fled Israel in 2011 to avoid fraud charges. In 2019, he was arrested in Greece for using a fake passport and extradited to Israel. Most read in Fabulous He faced charges for fraud, theft, and forgery, but none of these charges were related to his Tinder scheme or his other alleged crimes abroad. After fleeing Israel to avoid fraud charges from his early 20s, Leviev moved to High-flying businesswoman targeted by The Tinder Swindler after he resurfaced on Instagram He had previously served two years in a Finnish prison for defrauding three women and was released in 2017. He briefly returned to Israel but escaped before he could be captured again. When he was finally arrested in 2019, it was for the forgery, theft, and fraud charges he had previously faced. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison but was released after just five months due to good behavior. Cecilie was conned into taking out nine loans totaling $250,000 (£190,000), and was hounded by creditors to the point where she contemplated suicide. Suicide She eventually sought help at a psychiatric unit and has spent the last seven years in therapy. She 'never wanted to be on' antidepressants but explains that she 'needed them.' Due to being hit with a lawsuit by creditors and police barging into her home, Cecilie needed to be on antidepressants. Pernilla, 38, also contemplated suicide after learning the truth about the man she considered a friend. He's really angry with all the successes that we have had Cecilie Fjellhoy She lost the $45,000 (£33,840) she had saved for a home deposit and then doubled that amount in legal fees when she tried to take her bank to court. The fallout from the exposé in a Norwegian newspaper led to death threats from Leviev, leaving her questioning not only "what I would do to myself; I didn't know what Simon might try to do to me." But today, the women are finally reclaiming their power . The enormous reach of the Netflix documentary made Leviev a recognisable figure, effectively ending his con. 8 He falsely claimed to be the son of "King of Diamonds," Lev Leviev Credit: 8 Pernilla Sjőholm, a Tinder Swindler victim Credit: Jam Press/Pernilla Sj�holm "He's really angry with all the successes that we have had," Cecilie says. "I think he really wanted us to be miserable for the rest of our lives." Instead, they've become fierce advocates for victims of romance fraud. They now travel the world giving talks about online safety, and Pernilla has even co-founded an identity verification platform. The goal Their new book, Swindled Never After: How We Survived (and You Can Spot) a Relationship Scammer, is an unflinching look at their journey, complete with online safety tips and expert insights. The goal, they say, is to change the laws and fight the victim-shaming that so often follows these crimes. Pernilla is now a mother to two-year-old twins and has moved on, refusing to let Leviev "continue to defraud me" by consuming her life with anger. Cecilie, who says she still "loves love," has also returned to dating, albeit with a new sense of caution. 8 Leviev had previously served two years in a Finnish prison for defrauding three women and was released in 2017 Credit: 8 Tinder has stated that they have banned Leviev from their app and that he is not on it under any known alias Credit: 8 Leviev has even reinvented himself as a real estate mogul and offers classes in business education Credit: Instagram She's not worried about being financially duped again, as, "There's nothing left. I'm bankrupt. I can't even get a credit card." While his victims continue to pay off the massive debts he left them with, Leviev is living as a free man in Israel, seemingly without any financial issues. He is rumoured to be dating an Israeli model, Kate Konlin, and his private Instagram account, with over 284,000 followers, is filled with photos of a lavish lifestyle, including helicopters and expensive dinners. Leviev has even reinvented himself as a real estate mogul and offers classes in business education. Tinder has stated that they have banned Leviev from their app and that he is not on it under any known alias. How to protect yourself from fraud USE the following tips to protect yourself from fraudsters. Keep your social media accounts private – Think twice before you your share details – in particular your full date of birth, address and contacts details – all of this information can be useful to fraudsters. Deactivate and delete old social media profiles – Keep track of your digital footprint. If a profile was created 10 years ago, there may be personal information currently available for a fraudster to use that you're are not aware of or you have forgotten about. Password protect your devices – Keep passwords complex by picking three random words, such as roverducklemon and add or split them with symbols, numbers and capitals. Install anti-virus software on your laptop and personal devices and keep it up to date – This will make it harder for fraudsters to access your data in the first place. Take care on public Wi-Fi – Fraudsters can hack or mimic them. If you're using one, avoid accessing sensitive apps, such as mobile banking. Think about your offline information too – Always redirect your post when you move home and make sure your letter or mailbox is secure.
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Match of the Day host Gabby Logan cheers on jockey daughter, 20, as she makes racing debut at Goodwood
GABBY LOGAN cheered on her daughter Lois as she made her racing debut at the Qatar Goodwood Festival in Chichester on Thursday. The Match of the Day host was joined by her husband Kenny Logan and other family members as showjumper Lois, 20, had her first outing in the Markel Magnolia Cup. 6 Gabby Logan's daughter Lois made her racing debut on Thursday Credit: Getty 6 Gabby was cheering her on in the Markel Magnolia Cup Credit: PA 6 Gabby's husband, Kenny Logan, was also there to cheer on their daughter Credit: PA Unfortunately, Lois was unplaced on horse Spirit of Ecstasy during the event, which was won by Sophie Forsyth on her mount Woodcote Girl. But she was still in good spirits after getting her first outing. Speaking after the race, Lois said: "It was over so quickly and such a thrill. "The horse was incredible and put up such a fight against strong opposition. READ MORE IN HORSE RACING "We finished in midfield, which was not a bad result. I had to push from the third furlong because they set off so quickly. "I have got more of an edge for winning now and am not so scared of speed. It was really good fun." While mum "All those 4.40am starts and the months of physical training have been worth it. Most read in Horse Racing 6 Lois was delighted to make her debut Credit: PA CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS "Since she broke up from university, she has been going down to Andrew Balding's stable at Kingsclere four times a week. "I have been down there to see her training. It is such a different style of riding to what she has grown up doing. Rangers hero Ally McCoist lands massive double bed and tells roommate 'it'll be interesting when Gabby Logan gets here' "She has loved it. She will definitely go down again if they need her to ride out." It's no surprise that Lois is making a splash in horseracing, with sport running in her blood. Mum Gabby was a rhythmic gymnast in her youth, competing at the Commonwealth Games for Wales in 1990 as a 17-year-old. And Dad Kenny is a 70-time Scotland rugby international, representing his nation at the World Cup and playing professional rugby for the London Wasps too. Even Gabby and Kenny's son Reuben is leaving his mark on rugby, signing a professional contract with Northampton Saints. Reuben, 20, has 6 Kenny Logan represented Scotland 70 times Credit: PA:Press Association 6 Reuben Logan is a professional rugby player too and represented Scotland U20s Credit: Alamy
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Bayern Munich star Sven Ulreich announces tragic death of his six-year-old son after ‘long, serious illness'
BAYERN MUNICH goalkeeper Sven Ulreich has announced the tragic death of his six-year-old son. The German stopper, 36, shared the heartbreaking update on Friday morning. Advertisement 1 Sven Ulreich has announced the tragic death of his six-year-old son Credit: Getty Ulreich's son Len, born in 2018, lost his brave battle with a serious illness in June. Ulreich wrote on Instagram: "It is with deep sadness that we would like to announce today that our son Len passed away a few weeks ago after a long, serious illness. "The decision to make this public now is incredibly difficult for us – however, it is an important step for us as a family to create clarity in our environment and also in the public eye. "Together with our daughter, we are now trying to find our way back to life step by step. Advertisement READ MORE SPORT NEWS "Special thanks go to our families, friends, and FC Bayern Munich for their discretion and great support over the past few months – that means a lot to us. "We ask the public and media representatives to be considerate and respect our privacy. We kindly ask you to refrain from further inquiries or statements." THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video . Like us on Facebook at Advertisement Most read in Football Exclusive Latest
