Revealed: Why Lucas Paqueta is ‘facing two MORE FA charges’ in spot-fixing case which could see West Ham star banned for life
- The FA has laid two more charges against West Ham star Lucas Paqueta
- The Hammers star is accused of deliberately trying to influence the betting markets
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Lucas Paqueta is reportedly facing two more charges from the FA in his betting case, which could see him banned from the sport for life.
The West Ham star is accused of being deliberately booked in an attempt to influence the betting markets and is expected to appear before a hearing in March.
The Football Association alleges that Paqueta was deliberately booked in matches against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth so that he and/or his friends could profit from bets placed on his card. Paqueta has denied all charges against him and has previously said he will “fight with every breath to clear my name.”
Around 60 people in Brazil are said to have placed bets between £7 and £400 on him being booked in relevant matches, with a total winning of £100,000.
Now, according to The sunthe FA has laid two new charges against him for carelessness with his old phone.
The FA has reportedly laid two new charges against Lucas Paqueta in his spot-fixing case
The complaint states that he could not show his old phone because he had thrown it away
The FA seized Paqueta’s phone for two months last year while investigators examined his messages, calls and banking history, during which time he bought a new mobile phone.
They eventually returned it, but later remembered it because investigators wanted to check additional details.
The only problem? Paqueta had thrown it away and couldn’t find it.
As a result, the FA charged him with obstructing the investigation with two serious offenses of non-co-operation. The sun reports.
Mail Sport exclusively broke the story of Paqueta’s gambling investigation in August 2023, which led to the collapse of his would-be £85million move to Premier League champions Manchester City.
The charges laid by the FA earlier this year coincided with the midfielder’s decline in form. The Hammers star has had a poor campaign.
West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui has insisted the player tackles his looming legal troubles properly, but revealed he has not discussed the matter with him.
“I am happy with his behavior and his commitment,” Lopetegui said last month. ‘He works very hard, he tries to understand what we want. We’re trying to help him get better and better. He is an important player.’
Paqueta expressed surprise at the allegations and continues to deny any wrongdoing
Paqueta will reportedly face a hearing in March on alleged spot-fixing following his indictment by the Football Association
The FA has investigated suspicious gambling patterns surrounding four bookings Paqueta received in 2022 and 2023
West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui said Paqueta is dealing well with the looming legal threat, but revealed he has not spoken to the Brazilian about the matter
He added: “We don’t talk about it [the charges]. We talk about football, about the next match and about life. But not about this.’
Paqueta has played nine times this season and scored two goals.