Brazilian accused of deliberately getting yellow cards
Paquetá denied wrongdoing and was backed by club
Lucas Paquetá is expected to be found not guilty in relation to spot-fixing charges. The West Ham player was charged by the Football Association with four counts of being deliberately booked to influence betting markets and two of failing to cooperate with its investigation.
The charges were announced in May 2024 after a 10-month investigation. The Brazilian could have faced up to a life ban if he were found guilty in one of the most high-profile cases the FA have brought.
The FA had been looking into allegations that Paquetá deliberately picked up yellow cards against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth in 2022 and 2023 and alleged that he “directly sought to influence […] 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”.
