West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paquetá has been absolved of allegations that he conspired with yellow card providers to commit a match-fixing incident, which was the subject of a two-year probe by the Football Association (FA).
The Brazilian was charged in relation to four Premier League matches between November 2022 and August 2023, with the FA alleging that he intentionally sought cautions to benefit betting activity.
However, after a regulatory hearing, the commission found the charges “not proven,” thus confirming Paquetá’s rejection of any wrongdoing.
According to a statement by the FA, “It was alleged that Lucas Paquetá directly sought to influence… by intentionally seeking to receive a card… for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market… Lucas Paquetá denied the charges… and the Regulatory Commission found them to be not proven.”However, while Paquetá was found not guilty of match manipulation, the evidence of non-compliance with the FA investigation remains.
He is found guilty of Rule F3 violation for failure to fully cooperate and/or provide all the information required. The punishment for these offences will be announced later.
Paquetá transferred from Lyon to West Ham in 2022 and his debut season was impressive.
Before the FA investigation intervened, a Manchester City transfer was in the pipeline.
