West Ham United’s Lucas Paquetá has been cleared of spot-fixing charges, two years after The Football Association (FA) launched an investigation into the Brazilian international footballer.
The FA opened an investigation into Paquetá in August 2023 and issued charges against the footballer in May 2024 for four alleged breaches of FA Rule E5.1.
This related to his conduct during the club’s Premier League games against Leicester City on 12 November 2022; Aston Villa on 12 March 2023; Leeds United on 21 May 2023; and AFC Bournemouth on 12 August 2023.
The FA had alleged that he directly sought to influence these matches by intentionally seeking to receive a yellow card from the referee for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market, in order for one or more persons to profit from betting.
Paquetá had denied the charges against him and an independent Regulatory Commission found them to be not proven following a hearing.
The Commission has, however, found the misconduct charges against the player for alleged breaches of FA Rule F3 to be proven, which relates to alleged failures to comply with his obligations to answer questions and provide information to The FA’s investigation.
The Commission will decide an appropriate sanction for these breaches at the earliest opportunity.
Paqueta, now 27, would have been facing a lifetime ban from football if he had been found guilty. He made 33 Premier League appearances for the club last season, but missed out on a proposed £85 million transfer to Manchester City prior to the 2023/24 season.
“Since the first day of this investigation, I have maintained my innocence against these extremely serious accusations,” said Paquetá. “I can’t say anything more at this time, but I would like to express how grateful I am to God and how eager I am to return to playing football with a smile on my face.
“To my wife who never let go of my hand, to West Ham United, to the fans who always cheered me on, and to my family, friends and the legal team who have supported me – thank you for everything.”
West Ham United vice-chair Karren Brady commented: “We are pleased Lucas has been cleared. He has maintained his innocence from the outset, and as a club we have resolutely stood by him and supported him throughout the process. Despite the incredible pressure on him, Lucas has performed week in and week out for the club, always giving everything.
“It has been a difficult time for Lucas and his family, but he has remained absolutely professional throughout and he is now looking forward to drawing a line under this episode, as is everyone at West Ham United.”
The FA is awaiting the Regulatory Commission’s written reasons in relation to its decisions on the charges, and will not comment further until that time.