The investigation into West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta and the betting probe is clearing up. The Football Association (FA) recently opened an inquiry into the possibility of the Brazilian’s involvement in sports betting. This investigation was at such an early stage that the FA did not interview the player. However, more information on the bets is now coming to light.
Mail Sport is claiming that the governing body of the sport in England is looking into three specific incidents involving Paqueta. All three moments involve the midfielder picking up a yellow card during Premier League matches. The first booking in question came in a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa back in March. Paqueta was shown the yellow card in the 70th minute after a heavy challenge on fellow midfielder John McGinn.
The next incident occurred during a late 2022/23 matchup with Leeds. Much like the previous booking, Paqueta received a yellow card for a tackle on Crysencio Summerville in the 65th minute of the match. These two moments were the only times in which the Brazilian was cautioned in league play during his club’s final 18 matches.
Latest Paqueta betting concern came in match this month
The final questionable moment came in West Ham’s opening Premier League match of the current campaign. Paqueta picked up a yellow card in the final minutes of the fixture with Bournemouth. With the game heading for a 1-1 draw, the Brazilian committed a late foul against on opposing player.
Match referee Peter Bankes did not initially show Paqueta a card for the infraction. However, the Brazilian was eventually cautioned after protesting the call. According to the aforementioned news outlet, the player was not aware of the investigation at the time of the Bournemouth game. This was despite the FA looking into Paqueta’s yellow cards for months.
Inquiry reportedly affected player’s move to Man City
This investigation also affected the player’s seemingly pending transfer to Manchester City. The two Premier League sides had nearly agreed a fee of around $108 million for Paqueta to join the Champions League winners. Nevertheless, City eventually backed out of the deal for obvious reasons.
West Ham has, so far, stood by their player in the investigation. Manager David Moyes selected Paqueta in his starting lineup against Chelsea. The Hammers went on to win the game 3-1 on the day. The Brazilian picked up a yellow card in the 35th minute of the match.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Sportimage
