The English Football Association (FA) has rescheduled Lucas Paquetá’s testimony regarding a sports betting investigation for next Monday. The West Ham player, who was absent from the national team due to these allegations, will have to provide clarifications. Paquetá’s defense requested the presentation of “solid evidence” before his testimony.
READ MORE
+ + The reaction of a former PSG player to Neymar’s shocking statements
+ + FIFA Club World Cup 2023: Libertadores champion could face Al-Ittihad
+ + Santos signs Colombian striker who left Glasgow Rangers
The investigation was initiated following a report by suspicious actions watchdog, Sports Radar, which presented evidence to the FA. The matches between West Ham and Aston Villa on March 12, Leicester and West Ham on May 28 of the previous season, as well as Bournemouth and West Ham on August 8 during the opening of the current edition of the Premier League, are affected. There are suspicions regarding yellow cards received by the Brazilian player.
🚨 Lucas Paquetá has been under investigation by the FA for 5 months. 🇧🇷👀
The investigation relates to three suspicious yellow cards from the Brazilian at West Ham:
🟨 🆚 Aston Villa, March 11
🟨 🆚 Leeds, May 21
🟨 🆚 Bournemouth, August 12✍️ @MailSport pic.twitter.com/uloSTJn8SY
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) August 23, 2023
At this stage, the FA has not provided direct evidence linked to Paquetá, such as telephone intercepts, documents or financial details. This contrasts with Operation Penalidade Máxima, a large-scale sports betting investigation launched in 2023 in Brazilian football.
The impact of this investigation in England was felt as far as Brazil, where Lucas Paquetá was summoned by the Commission of Inquiry into the Manipulation of Football. Given that he resides abroad, it is not yet clear when the interview with politicians in Brasília will take place.
The immediate consequences of this information leak were also discussed during interrogations at the FA. The public revelation of this investigation led Manchester City to pull the plug on their proposed purchase of Paquetá from West Ham, after the latter initially turned down a £70 million offer. In addition, Fernando Diniz, the coach, preferred not to select Paquetá for the first two rounds of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, due to this affair.
The company Rocnation, which manages the career of Lucas Paquetá, contacted British lawyers who are in direct contact with the FA. For now, the organization has chosen not to comment on the matter.
