Lucas Paqueta betting charge: How the case was built as West Ham star could face 10-YEAR ban from football, including fourth booking when he was already being investigated

Beautiful footballer, Lucas Paqueta, full of flair and fun. West Ham’s most mesmerizing man to watch since Dimitri Payet. Makes mugs of the person who tries to take the ball from him but loves a card, as they say on the terraces.

Now Paqueta is associated with the ugly side of football. He is accused of deliberately receiving yellow cards in four Premier League matches for the perverse reason of ensuring bets were won against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth.

Now West Ham can only wonder whether his career will be all but over if he is found guilty of spot-fixing. It’s a dire situation for the playmaker who played the ball into Jarrod Bowen to win the Europa Conference League and a headache for Julen Lopetegui, who was announced as his new manager on Thursday.

It took the FA nine months to gather the evidence that gave them enough confidence to press charges, with Thursday’s announcement taking us back to August 18, 2023.

It was an ordinary day until a tip from a friend landed on WhatsApp, suggesting we should investigate more closely why Paqueta’s £85 million move to Manchester City had suddenly collapsed for unknown reasons.

Paqueta was investigated for four bookings in particular, the first of which is above

A tackle on John McGinn was also one that caused alarm among integrity-minded Europe

“I hear he is being investigated for gambling violations,” the message read. ‘I’m not sure how specific it is. One to watch.”

Confirmation of this led to Mail Sport breaking the news that same day: Paqueta investigation, suspicious betting in Brazil traced to where he grew up, City shocked, and more to follow. Much more, as it turned out. We then revealed the yellow cards in question, including an injury-time warning at Bournemouth, when Paqueta was completely unaware that he was already under investigation.

We discovered that of all bookmakers, Betway – West Ham’s shirt sponsors – reported the suspicious patterns to the International Betting Integrity Association after their alert system was activated.

We heard how Paqueta had privately admitted he didn’t have the best tackling technique – a limitation that was tested when boss David Moyes ordered him back – and that West Ham were impressed with his day-to-day performance despite the distraction of his research.

We visited Paqueta Island in Guanabara Bay, a quiet paradise near Rio de Janeiro where you will find no cars, no crowds, just mango trees, sandy beaches, fishing boats, foot volleyball courts, distant views of Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain and proud of how their most famous son reached the Premier League.

Leeds’ Crycencio Summerville was knocked out by Paqueta, who was booked for the tackle

Paqueta was under investigation when he picked up the yellow card against Bournemouth

Children play football on the island of Paqueta, the little piece of sleepy paradise from which the player takes his name

When the news broke last year, there was a lot of talk about the gambling investigation on Paqueta Island

Paqueta’s real name is Lucas Tolentino Coelho de Lima, but in Brazil it is common to adopt the region you come from as your surname. The news that he was under investigation coincided with the island’s biggest event of the year, the Festa de Sao Roque, a religious festival where 4,000 locals come together to celebrate life. There was speculation about the city, adding to the fireworks that were already being set off above.

A gentleman called Helter Gerard said: ‘It’s a different world when someone achieves what he has achieved and that’s why I don’t think he’s involved in these bets. He enjoyed hanging out on the island with his brother, but doing something so incredibly wrong is not like him.”

Another, named Marcos Silva de Avila, told us that no one here would ever consider getting Paqueta in trouble. He said: ‘There are only small wages on the island and people would not jeopardize the career of a loved one just to make money.’

It was an open secret among West Ham sources that he was in line to leave this summer. Mail Sport revealed how his contract included an £85million release clause that will become active once this window opens.

Paqueta is no stranger to picking up cards, but there were four in particular at stake

However, a West Ham insider said last night that City were not the only ones circling. Although his performances in the second half of this Premier League season were not his best, the Hammers had received inquiries from clubs around the world.

They wanted his creativity, his spunk and even his mischievous side. It’s what makes him who he is and it was remarkable that his full range of moves and tricks were on display on the final day of the season at the Etihad Stadium as City beat West Ham 3-1 to become champions. But crucially, the same Hammers source added last night: ‘No one will take him with a charge hanging over him.’

The feeling is that they are now stuck, he and West Ham, who cannot say for certain whether he will ever be seen in claret and blue again.

Paqueta has expressed surprise at the allegations and continues to deny any wrongdoing

Paqueta showed off his skills on the final day of the season against former suitor Man City

Paqueta insists he is innocent. In fact, he released a statement saying: ‘I am extremely surprised and angry that the FA have decided to charge me. For nine months I cooperated with every step of their investigation and provided all possible information. I deny the allegations in their entirety and will fight with every breath to clear my name.”

That cooperation included handing over his cell phone. You suspect he spent a lot of time on that machine yesterday talking to lawyers in an attempt to discover his chances of clearing his name.