Lucas Paquetá has expressed his relief after been cleared of spot-fixing. The West Ham midfielder was charged by the Football Association in May last year with four counts of deliberately getting himself booked to influence betting markets so that friends and family members might benefit and faced a lengthy ban if found guilty.
“An independent regulatory commission has found the misconduct charges against West Ham United’s Lucas Paquetá for alleged breaches of FA Rule E5 to be not proven,” read a FA statement. “It was alleged that Lucas Paquetá directly sought to influence the progress, conduct, or any other aspect of, or occurrence in these 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. Lucas Paquetá denied the charges against him, and the Regulatory Commission found them to be not proven following a hearing.”
The Brazilian has, however, been found guilty of “failures to comply with his obligations to answer questions and provide information to the FA’s investigation”.
The investigation into Paquetá opened in August 2023 and related to four yellow cards that he received for West Ham in Premier League matches between November 2022 and August 2023. The player was on the brink of an £85m move to Manchester City when the investigation was started and has since “been living this nightmare for two years” in the words of his wife, Maria Fournie.
Giving his reaction to the FA’s verdict in a statement posted on West Ham’s website, Paquetá 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.
“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.”
West Ham vice-chair, Karren Brady, said: “We are pleased Lucas has been cleared. He has maintained his innocence from the outset, and as a Club we have resolutely stood by him and supported him throughout the process.
“Despite the incredible pressure on him, Lucas has performed week in and week out for the club, always giving everything. It has been a difficult time for Lucas and his family, but he has remained absolutely professional throughout and he is now looking forward to drawing a line under this episode, as is everyone at West Ham United.”
More to follow …
