West Ham had an outstanding performance last Sunday in the 3-1 Premier League victory against Chelsea.
But most of our attention was on Lucas Paqueta who converted a penalty amidst ongoing betting investigations by FIFA and the FA.
What started Lucas Paqueta’s betting investigations?
In the Premier League match between West Ham and Aston Villa last season, Lucas Paquetá made a behind-the-back tackle on Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn in the 24th minute of the second half.
This wouldn’t have raised any eyebrows except on the same day there were an extraordinary amount of bets, one in the English Championship and the other in the Spanish Championship.
The Premier League bets projected that Lucas Paquetá will receive a yellow card and in the Spanish La Liga, Luiz Henrique’s squad, Real Betis, would receive a yellow card during their game against Villarreal. Both athletes received yellow cards.
Note that football players who wager on sports are strongly discouraged in England. No matter if they are taking part in the games being bet on, athletes are not permitted to put wagers. Read more on this here.
Most recently, Lucas Paquetá’s statement to the English Football Association (FA) has been postponed with no new date set for the West Ham midfielder to report for questioning.
Coach David Moyes commented on Lucas Paquetá just after the West Ham’s Sunday win:
“I think 65,000 people stood up and applauded throughout the game because of what he did. He dedicated himself, played as well as the others. He showed character. He never hid from the ball, he continued to look for the ball. His performance was very, very good, especially in the second half.”
On whether the goal helped Paqueta let off pressure amidst the allegations, he said:
“It didn’t come off a big weight from his shoulders, it was just a great performance from him. He scored from the penalty spot in the last few minutes. He played very well. He is a very good player. There’s nothing more I can add.”
