London (AFP)
The English Football Association has accused West Ham’s Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta of violating its betting rules, after an investigation into allegations that the international player deliberately received yellow cards.
The local football federation accused Paqueta of committing four violations of its rules, related to his behavior in West Ham’s league matches against Leicester City in November 2022, Aston Villa in March 2023, Leeds in May and Bournemouth in August of the same year.
The 26-year-old was also charged with two other violations over an alleged failure to “comply in accordance with FA Rule F2.”
The union investigated Paquita last September and gained access to his phone.
The investigation began after suspicious betting patterns surrounding Paqueta’s yellow card for shoving Bournemouth’s Ukrainian defender Ilya Zabarny in the final minutes of a 1-1 draw in the opening stage of this season.
The FA said in a statement: “West Ham United player Lucas Paqueta has been charged with misconduct regarding alleged violations of FA rules.”
He continued, “It is alleged that he directly sought to influence the course or conduct, or any other aspect of these matches, by deliberately seeking to obtain a card from the referee, for the improper purpose of influencing the betting market, so that one or more people would benefit from these bets.” .
Paqueta has until June 3 to respond to the accusations, taking into account any request to extend the deadline.
Paqueta quickly denied these accusations on his Instagram page, saying, “I am very surprised and disturbed by the FA’s decision to charge me.”
He added, “Over the course of nine months, I cooperated with every step of the investigation and provided all the information I could. I deny all charges in their entirety, and I will fight with every effort to clear my name. Given the ongoing process, I will not provide any further comment.”
For its part, West Ham said in its statement, “The club acknowledges receiving the accusation received by Lucas Paqueta due to alleged violations of its rules.”
He continued, “Lucas categorically denies these violations, and will continue to vigorously defend his position. The club will continue to stand by the player and support him throughout the process, and will not make any further comment until the matter is finalized.”
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