Lucas Paqueta charged with four cases of spot-fixing in Premier League matches

[GarveyLives]

West Ham United’s Lucas Tolentino Coelho de Lima (known as Lucas Paqueta) has been charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of The Football Association's Rules E5 and F3. The nature of these alleagations sounds potentially more serious than the recent betting charges involving Kieran Trippier, Ivan Toney and Sandro Tonali.

Lucas Paqueta has been charged with four breaches of FA Rule E5.1 in relation to his conduct in the club’s Premier League fixtures 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.

It is alleged that he directly sought to influence the progress, conduct, or any other aspect of, or occurrence in these matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market in order for one or more persons to profit from betting.

Lucas Paqueta has also been charged with two breaches of FA Rule F3 in respect of alleged failures to comply pursuant to FA Rule F2.

He has until 3 June 2024 to provide a response to these charges subject to any request for an extension to this deadline.

(Source: as stated in image)​

It is understood that the FA's investigation began when several bookmakers in Brazil received an unusual number of bets on Lucas Paqueta to be booked during West Ham’s Premier League game against Aston Villa on 12 March 2023, triggering an alert from their integrity monitoring systems. Most of the suspicious bets were traced to Paqueta Island (where Lucas Paqueta was born), with the concern of integrity officials heightened by the fact that much of the money was gambled using new accounts.

Additionally many of the gamblers had bet the maximum stake permitted on a yellow card market, which most operators cap at around £200, with up to £1,000 allowed for regular gamblers with a losing habit. Any yellow-card bet from a new account automatically triggers one of the many colour-coded warnings used by companies to monitor suspected foul play.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Most of the suspicious bets were traced to Paqueta Island (where Lucas Paqueta was born)

 

[editor]

What a fucking idiot. Like his enormous wages weren't enough.

 

[rubbershoes]

View attachment 425701

There used to be a poster with a similar brain-melting nomenclature. A chap called Bristle KRS was apparently from Bristle.

He was a strange one though. It's probably for the best that he's gone

 

[two sheds]

Was money the incentive or could he/his family have been threatened?

 

[tommers]

It's an odd one cos he tackles like that all the time, so they must have some other evidence. They've been investigating for a year so they must have something.

But the sums they are talking about are £20k. Which isn't a small amount of money but is about a day's wages for him. And it wasn't even him allegedly betting on it. The markets are usually limited to £200 because they're so easy to fix.

And why, if you need to get booked, would you leave it until the 93rd minute? Just before you get subbed off?

Seems very odd.

 

[Silas Loom]

Was money the incentive or could he/his family have been threatened?

My immediate thought, too.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

And why, if you need to get booked, would you leave it until the 93rd minute? Just before you get subbed off?

Seems very odd.

To reduce the risk of being sent off for doing another of the tackles that he does anyway.

 

[editor]

Was money the incentive or could he/his family have been threatened?

With his dosh he could have relocated them. Or he could have called the cops, if they were threatened (does anyone have any evidence of this?)

 

[DaveCinzano]

There used to be a poster with a similar brain-melting nomenclature. A chap called Bristle KRS was apparently from Bristle.

He was a strange one though. It's probably for the best that he's gone

Would probably have posted a 16 option WHICH PERSON IN LATE 1980S TELEVISION HAD THE BRAIN-MELTINGEST LOCATION-RELATED NAME? poll at 3am

 

[two sheds]

With his dosh he could have relocated them. Or he could have called the cops, if they were threatened (does anyone have any evidence of this?)

nope no evidence, just wondered

 

[Fez909]

And it wasn't even him allegedly betting on it.

It's an interesting one, because it's hard to prove, and also seemingly makes it easy to target someone.

Want to get a player banned? Just pay a group of people in the player's hometown to put bets on the player doing something he always does.

When it happens, he'll be investigated? Seems too easy...

There must be more to it.

 

[two sheds]

Perhaps he was talking to his dad and just said "I'm going to get that bastard tomorrow if it's the last thing I do"

 

[editor]

It's an interesting one, because it's hard to prove, and also seemingly makes it easy to target someone.

Want to get a player banned? Just pay a group of people in the player's hometown to put bets on the player doing something he always does.

When it happens, he'll be investigated? Seems too easy...

There must be more to it.

Or he could just be guilty as charged. No one knows yet but it's a bit odd to see all these posts with totally unfounded counter accusations.

As far as I know these charges are really rare, so presumably the Premier League has a decent amount of evidence against him.

 

[two sheds]

Well I think it's a bit cruel - he makes an innocent remark on the phone to his dad, who happens to pass it on to his mates and Paqueta gets charged

 

[Fez909]

Or he could just be guilty as charged. No one knows yet but it's a bit odd to see all these posts with totally unfounded counter accusations.

As far as I know these charges are really rare, so presumably the Premier League has a decent amount of evidence against him.

I wasn't making accusations, just that I don't know how they'd prove it. I'm impressed tbh.

 

[GarveyLives]

Lucas Paquetá is likely to play for West Ham United for almost the entirety of the 2024 / 25 season despite his spot-fixing charges, being eligible to play until the disciplinary process is completed. There are even suggestions that the case could continue until almost the end of the season and perhaps even beyond that.

Lucas Paquetá's representatives were initially given until 3 June 2024 to respond to the FA, a fortnight after he was charged. Having been granted an extension to respond to the FA's charges, Paquetá's lawyers believe it will take several months to secure all relevant information relating to the complex case which spans three countries - England, Brazil and Spain. This includes gathering documents and witness statements.

Betting company Betway was the first to alert authorities about an unusually high volume of bets on Paquetá's receiving yellow cards in West Ham United matches last season, which resulted in the Brazilian being accused of spot-fixing and facing a potential lifetime ban from the FA.

West Ham United are understood to be unhappy with Betway, particularly with the fact that they did not speak to them before reporting the suspicious bets to integrity investigators.

 

[tommers]

Probably won't play tonight. Not been great this season, probably got a few things on his mind.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Funny how things trigger memories. Playing football at school, after dumping someone on their arse in a manner worthy of two red cards, I was told that I wasn't being sent off because that was what I was aiming for. (I was.)