West Ham have been blessed with plenty of creative flair players over the years, with Lucas Paqueta high up on that list.
But Hammers fans might have already caught their last glimpse of the fleet-footed Brazilian in a claret-and-blue shirt.
The Football Association charged Paqueta over his role in an alleged betting scam on Thursday – the 26-year-old now has a case to answer after the previous allegations were elevated to the next level of the legal process.
If found guilty of being deliberately booked in three Premier League games during the 2022/23 season and another at the start of 2023/24, Paqueta could face a ban of up to ten years – effectively bringing his career at the top level to an end.
In the Book
The charges come at the end of a nine-month long investigation, during which Football Association chiefs examined a series of mysterious betting patterns involving the forward being booked in specific games.
Investigators will accuse Paqueta of deliberately being cautioned in four named Premier League games:
- Leicester (Home) – November 12, 2022
- Aston Villa (Home) – March 12, 2023
- Leeds United (Home) – May 21, 2023
- Bournemouth (Away) – August 12, 2023
Each, when watched back, could be construed as being somewhat suspicious – although it should be stressed that Paqueta continues to protest his innocence, and will fight the charges.
During the Leicester game, Paqueta was booked for a late lunge on Boubakary Soumare, before he again drew suspicion against Aston Villa when taking out John McGinn.
The yellow card that the Brazilian was shown against Leeds United was for another aggressive foul on Crycencio Summerville, before the fourth under investigation was a cynical 93rd minute handball against Bournemouth on the opening day of the 2023/24 campaign.
“It is alleged that [Paqueta] 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,” a statement from the FA reads.
Island in the Sun
The situation is particularly embarrassing for West Ham given that the wagers struck in conjunction with the alleged plot were placed with Betway, the club’s official shirt sponsor.
Betway’s alerts tracker was triggered after they received a number of substantial bets on Paqueta to be booked in the games in question – with some of those wagers tracked to Paqueta Island, a land mass near Rio de Janeiro from which the player takes his name.
Reports suggest that a number of bets were placed to the maximum stake – which is typically around £250 with most UK bookmakers on their player card markets. A handful of the wagers were also placed from brand new accounts; used as a trigger by betting firms of a potential integrity issue.
So significant was the market move in one of the games flagged that Paqueta’s price to be booked shifted from 5/1 to 8/11 before kick-off – pretty much unheard of in the cards market.
Betway, and the other bookmakers who had identified suspicious patterns, passed on their concerns to the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), who in turn handed the conclusions of their findings to the FA.
Should Paqueta be found guilty, available sanctions could range from a ban of six months through to ten years – there’s no previous precedent for spot-fixing in the Premier League. Given that Paqueta allegedly changed the outcome of four games – therefore bringing the integrity of football into disrepute – it’s likely he would be hit with the stiffest penalty if found guilty.
That would end hopes of a move to Manchester City, who were reportedly considering activating the Brazilian’s £85 million release clause. However, they were said to be ‘spooked’ when news of the alleged breaches emerged.
To potentially make matters worse, Paqueta has also been hit with two further charges. They relate to a failure to ‘provide documents, information or any other material held in relation to a request by the FA.’ Generally, players have received more lenient sanctions in the past when helping investigators with their enquiries.
The West Ham star will look to clear his name in court.
“I am extremely surprised and upset that the FA have decided to charge me,” he said.
“For nine months, I have co-operated 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.”