West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta’s betting hearing commenced on Monday, with proceedings anticipated to extend over three weeks. The Football Association (FA) is pursuing a lifetime ban for the 27-year-old Brazilian, following charges related to spot-fixing offences in four Premier League matches. Significantly, Paqueta has not placed any bets himself and continues to deny any wrongdoing associated with these allegations.
Former West Ham manager David Moyes is set to step forward with a witness statement in support of Paqueta, further highlighting the case’s importance. The FA’s allegations stem from an inquiry initiated in May 2024, scrutinizing Paqueta’s betting activities. The nature of the ongoing legal proceedings indicates that this could potentially become one of the longest hearings in the FA’s history.
The specific matches under investigation include fixtures against Leicester City in November 2022, Aston Villa in March 2023, Leeds United in May 2023, and Bournemouth in August 2023. Reports suggest that the bets in question were mainly placed by Paqueta’s friends and family, amounting to approximately 60 wagers, predominantly for low stakes. In fact, around half of the bets flagged as suspicious were under £50, with most others remaining under £100, illustrating the nature of the activity that has drawn the FA’s scrutiny. A notably small bet was recorded at £7, while one bet placed by a relative raised eyebrows due to its “unusually large” nature at $40 (£30).
In light of the ongoing proceedings, Paqueta has opted to withdraw from Brazil’s national squad for the current international window, ensuring his availability to provide evidence at the hearing. His defense will focus on his established history of poor discipline, which they argue gamblers would have been aware of and which could explain why bets were made on him to receive yellow cards. Since his arrival at West Ham in August 2022, Paqueta has accumulated a staggering 22 yellow cards—more than any other player at the club, placing him among the top five Premier League players with the most yellow cards in the same timeframe.
Additionally, Paqueta intends to argue that he had requested not to participate in the fixture against Bournemouth, citing his imminent transfer to Manchester City as a reason. This defense seeks to undermine any claims of a conspiracy to provoke yellow cards on his part. The FA’s 2024 charges allege that Paqueta attempted 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.”
Paqueta is facing two additional breaches of FA Rule F3 for not complying with information requests under FA Rule F2, which highlights the seriousness of the investigation into his actions. After the charges were announced, Paqueta expressed his shock and disappointment, saying, “I am extremely surprised and upset that the FA has charged me. For nine months, I have cooperated fully with their investigation and provided all the information I can. I deny all charges and will fight to clear my name. Because the process is ongoing, I will not be commenting further.” This situation is still developing, and the outcome of the hearing will have significant effects on Paqueta’s career and the game.
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