Lucas Paqueta risks being punished with the end of his football career for involvement in illegal gambling.
In the Premier League, after Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali, it was West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta’s turn to be involved in betting. Twelve months ago, the Brazilian midfielder was investigated by the English Football Association (FA) for suspected betting four times on Premier League matches in which he participated.
During the investigation, the FA seized Paqueta’s personal phone. The FA kept Paqueta’s phone for eight weeks to analyze the midfielder’s call log, text messages and bank transactions.
After handing in his phone to the FA, Paqueta bought a new one. But when the FA returned his old phone, the Brazilian threw it away. This action caused even more trouble for the West Ham star.
According to SunSport, the FA asked Paqueta to hand over the phone after a while to return it to him, because of additional issues they wanted to examine. At this time, the 27-year-old midfielder replied that he could not find it.
The act of discarding the old phone resulted in Paqueta being charged with obstructing an FA investigation, including a serious breach of conduct for failing to cooperate.
Paqueta was initially charged with deliberately receiving a booking in Premier League matches against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth between November 2022 and August 2023.
With the current developments, Paqueta faces the risk of being banned for life by the FA, even though his bets on the matches were worth only £7.
Around 60 Brazilians bet on Paqueta being booked in the above matches, with stakes ranging from £7 to £400, resulting in a total winnings of up to £100,000.
Paqueta has so far denied any wrongdoing but the case is stacked against the Brazilian. Paqueta’s trial is scheduled for March next year, so in the meantime the player can still play for his club and country.
Paqueta’s form has dropped since being investigated by the FA. This season, the Brazilian midfielder has scored just 2 goals in 9 games in all competitions for West Ham. Considered the Hammers’ playmaker, Paqueta has yet to provide any ‘assistance’ for his teammates since the start of the season.
