The hearing into the spot-fixing allegations involving Brazil and West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been scheduled to take place in March. The Brazilian was officially charged by the FA in May, accused of intentionally receiving a yellow card in four Premier League games. Paqueta has denied the charges.
Investigation commenced into the Brazil star in the summer of 2023, after completing his first season at West Ham. The games in question, where he allegedly got booked intentionally, occurred between November 2022 and August 2023 against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth. West Ham have taken a stand with the 27-year-old, promising to support him throughout the process. He has not stopped playing for the Hammers since the investigations commenced and bagged a goal in their Premier League victory over Ipswich Town on Saturday.
With the hearing expected to happen before the end of the current season, the stakes are high for both Paqueta and West Ham. The former AC Milan man could face sanctions as severe as a life ban from the sport if he’s found guilty.
West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui has also admitted that the club is trying to avoid putting too much pressure on the midfielder. He said, “He’s trying to work very hard, trying to understand what we want from him. We’re trying to help him to be better and better. He’s an important player. He’s managed this in a good way. We try to help him but we don’t talk about this. We talk about football, the next match, about life but not about this.”
The Brazilian is also charged with failure to comply with the investigation in addition to the spot-fixing charges. The investigation was started after suspicious betting patterns were traced to the Brazilian island of Paqueta where the midfielder, whose birth name is Lucas Tolentino Coelho de Lima, grew up.
