West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta is the subject of an FA investigation into suspicious betting involving bets on him receiving a yellow card in various Premier League matches.
The investigation is said to have been launched after Paqueta was booked at the end of the game in West Ham’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa last season and, according to the Mail, betting on May’s win over Leeds and the opening game of the campaign against Bournemouth later this month are also included in the investigation.
Paqueta denies any wrongdoing and is said to be shocked by the allegations, while there is no suggestion that the player placed any bets himself. Both the FA and West Ham have declined to comment publicly.
How did the investigation come about?
The authorities were alerted to suspicious betting patterns after several significant bets were placed in his home country of Brazil on Paqueta being booked in the Villa match.
The bets were allegedly placed on new accounts registered at addresses close to Paqueta’s birthplace on Paqueta Island, near Rio de Janeiro.
Some of these bets were placed with West Ham’s shirt sponsor, Betway. This platform is not widely used in Brazil and it was this bookmaker that first aroused suspicions.
What will happen to Paqueta?
The Football Association has rejected suggestions that an investigation into the allegations of irregular betting by Lucas Paqueta should be launched.
They emerged after the Brazilian national team called him up for matches on that basis, and Inside World Football reported that the investigation is over and that he will not be charged.
In an article headlined “Betting investigation over, Lucas Paqueta named in Brazil first team by selector Dorival Jr”, the IWF reported that Paqueta had been named in the new Brazil squad for the friendlies against England and Spain at the end of March, after the English Football Association did not charge him as part of a betting investigation.
However, the Hammers News and Claret and Hugh have confirmed that this is not true, with an FA spokesman telling the former: “This article is factually incorrect.”
This was confirmed by our best source at the club who said “Yes, the FA are still investigating him and deciding whether or not to charge him.
It is not yet known how long this will take, but in previous cases it has dragged on for up to 18 months.