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Almost two years to the day since the Football Association opened an investigation into alleged spot fixing, West Ham ace Lucas Paqueta has been cleared of all charges.
At the culmination of the FA inquiry, the Brazilian was charged with two counts of impropriety, with investigators alleging that he had been deliberately booked in as many as four Premier League games – ‘for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market’, read the charge sheet.
The case was passed on to an independent regulatory commission, who 15 months later have dropped the charges against Paqueta after failing to be convinced by the evidence presented.
Exonerated
🚨✅ OFFICIAL: West Ham have confirmed that Lucas Paqueta has been cleared of all the alleged betting breaches against him. pic.twitter.com/SYLodWMh9R
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 31, 2025
It brings an end to two years of turmoil for the midfielder, who suffered ‘emotional distress’ throughout the case, according to his former West Ham manager David Moyes. Paqueta appeared to break down in tears after being booked and subsequently substituted in the Hammers’ 1-1 draw with Tottenham back in May.
The saga began to unravel as long ago as November 2022, when the 27-year-old was booked in a Premier League game against Leicester City. That was the first of four yellow cards shown to the Brazilian that came under the microscope, alongside cautions picked up in contests against Aston Villa (March 2023), Leeds United (May 2023) and Bournemouth (August 2023).
The FA’s Investigation
The Football Association was alerted to suspicious betting patterns by their football integrity partners, with a flurry of bets placed on the bookings from the tiny Brazilian island of Paqueta – the region from which the West Ham player is from and where he still has friends and family – with some wagered from new accounts set up with the Hammers’ former sponsor, Betway.
That sparked the FA’s investigation, ending Paqueta’s hopes of securing an £80 million deal to join Manchester City in the summer of 2023. Worse still, the governing body had threatened to use its heaviest sanction – a lifetime ban from football – against the player if found guilty. After a protracted bout of evidence gathering, the FA charged Paqueta in May 2024 with four counts of spot fixing, as well as two counts of failing to co-operate with the investigation in supplying requested documents or items.
According to unsubstantiated reports, he originally gave his phone to the FA, who held onto it for a period of weeks while they collected evidence. Paqueta, meanwhile, purchased a new phone and when the old device was returned to him, tossed it in the bin. The Football Association latterly asked for the old phone to be sent back to them, but Paqueta was unable to provide it – hence the protracted nature of the case.
Cleared of Spot Fixing
The matter was passed to the independent regulatory commission, who heard evidence from Paqueta and Moyes, who claimed that the Brazilian had asked him not to pick him for the game against Bournemouth – an injury could have scuppered his dream move to Man City. The insinuation is that the booking he subsequently picked up could not have been premeditated.
After months of investigations, the independent commission cleared Paqueta of all spot fixing charges on Thursday. They have, however, upheld the charges of failing to cooperate with an investigation, although it’s thought that fine will be the sanction chosen. Unsurprisingly, Paqueta is now weighing up the possibility of taking legal action against the Football Association; as are West Ham, who missed out on a reported £80 million when their player’s move to Man City was canned.
A Fresh Start
Paqueta has maintained his innocence throughout the legal proceedings and was understandably delighted when the verdict came down on his side. The Brazilian said,
Since the first day of this investigation, I have maintained my innocence against these extremely serious accusations. I can’t say anything more now, but I also can’t express how grateful I am to God and how eager I am to return to playing football with a smile on my face.
West Ham, who have continued to pick Paqueta to play throughout the episode, commented via vice chairwoman Karren Brady:
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.
Meanwhile the Football Association has decided to play a straight bat when commenting on the case. A statement on their website reads:
The FA awaits the Regulatory Commission’s written reasons in relation to its decisions on the charges, and will not be commenting further until that time.