- Premier League star charged by the FA over alleged spot fixing
- Brazilian Lucas Paqueta, 26, maintains his innocence
Football fans want answers after a Premier League star was sensationally charged by the English Football Association with four charges of alleged spot-fixing – just seven days after three A-League players were hit with the same alleged offenses by police in Sydney.
West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta, 26, has been accused by the Football Association of deliberately collecting yellow cards against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth in previous Premier League matches.
He has not been charged by the police.
The FA confirmed the charges relate to bookings Paqueta received in four matches between November 2022 and August 2023.
It is understood the FA was alerted after being tipped off by integrity officers who noticed an unusual amount of gambling activity on these bookings, much of which was traced to the island of Paqueta, off the coast of Rio de Janiero in Brazil.
The footballer’s full name is Lucas Tolentino Coelho de Lima, but he calls himself Lucas Paqueta, as a nod to the region in Brazil where he grew up.
Football fans want answers after a Premier League star was sensationally charged with four counts of alleged spot-fixing (pictured, West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta)
It also comes seven days after three A-League football stars on the books of Macarthur FC stars were charged with alleged gambling offenses (pictured, Bulls captain Ulises Davila)
‘It is alleged that he directly attempted to influence the proceedings, conduct or any other aspect of or appearance in these matches by deliberately attempting to receive a card from the referee for the improper purpose of influencing the betting market to either more more people benefit from betting,” the FA said in a statement.
It is further alleged that gamblers known to Paqueta may subsequently have made profits from bets placed on him while he was cautioned in the four matches under scrutiny.
The Brazilian – reportedly the Hammers’ highest-paid player with a whopping $75 million contract – remains adamant he is innocent.
‘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,” he said in a statement.
“I deny the allegations in their entirety and will fight with every breath to clear my name.”
Paqueta’s strong denial comes after it took the FA nine months to gather the evidence that gave them enough confidence to press charges.
Paqueta also has the backing of West Ham, who stated: ‘Lucas categorically denies the split and will continue to vigorously defend his position.
“The club will continue to support the player throughout the process.”
Police allege Davila paid Kearyn Baccus $10,000 to receive yellow cards in a number of A-League clubs
Clayton Lewis is a Kiwi international who now faces an uncertain future due to alleged spot-fixing
It also comes seven days after three A-League football stars were charged with alleged gambling offenses on the books of Macarthur FC stars.
Among them were Bulls captain Ulises Davila and teammates Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis.
The trio were all arrested on May 17 and charged separately. They will appear in Sydney courts in the coming weeks.
Police also confirmed they will interview a fourth player from Macarthur – who will also be charged once located.
It is alleged that Davila paid his Macarthur teammates $10,000 each to deliberately receive yellow cards in at least two A-League matches.
None of the players have broken their silence on the alleged issue.