Lucas Paquetá was accused by the English Football Federation (FA) of “intentionally receiving” yellow cards in four matches “with the improper purpose of affecting the betting market.” The news fell like a bomb, not only because of the complaint itself, but also because of the moment in which it was communicated: his transfer from West Ham to Manchester City was already taken for granted.
The 26-year-old footballer, who has until June 3 to officially present his defense, has already denied the accusations on social networks. Beyond the fact that the process is going to take a long time, with an independent commission that must investigate what happened and listen to the arguments of the parties, the truth is that it will affect the intentions of the transfer to the last champion of the Premier League, valued at about 100 million euros.
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The FA’s timing couldn’t have been worse to stop the pass. The championship has just ended and the transfer window will be open from June 14 to August 30. In addition, City has to do well, since since last year it has been investigated for a total of 115 alleged violations of financial fair play, in what is expected to be one of the largest investigations into a club in the history of football.
Paquetá was already close to joining the team led by Pep Guardiola last year, which did not prosper in part due to this possible investigation. The possible sanctions against the Brazilian, which at most would lead to him being banned for a decade, which is equivalent to banning him from playing for his entire career, are a very high risk for the Citizens.
— Lucas Paquetá (@LucasPaqueta97) May 23, 2024
The history of similar cases is decisive. Kynan Isaac, a footballer who played for Stratford Town in the amateur leagues, was banned for 10 years in 2022 after being found guilty of intentionally receiving yellow cards as part of a betting scheme. Meanwhile, Lincoln City defender Bradley Wood was banned for six years in 2018 for the same situation.
Manchester City has Bruno Guimarães on their radar
For all this, the English press claims that the transfer is currently at a standstill. There are even media outlets that mention that now eyes are on another Brazilian, Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimarães, also of high level and who, like Paquetá, is part of the squad for the Copa América 2024.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
Binge the full series, available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel.
