Lucas Paqueta’s spot-fixing trial begins as midfielder faces career-threatening battle | OneFootball

West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta has stepped into the most crucial battle of his career – a disciplinary hearing that could determine his fate in football.

The Guardian reports that this will be England’s most high‑profile corruption case since Bruce Grobbelaar was acquitted of conspiring to fix five Premier League games in two trials 27 years ago.

The Brazil international is accused of spot-fixing by the Football Association (FA), who are calling for a lifetime ban if found guilty.

The FA is claiming Paqueta deliberately got himself booked on four different occasions to influence the betting markets.

Investigators believe the suspicious bets were mostly placed from his hometown in Brazil and that some were linked to his family members.

He also faces two additional charges of obstructing the investigation.

Around 60 bets were placed on Paqueta to receive yellow cards in four Premier League games in 2022 and 2023.

The stakes on these bets range from £7 to £400, and the FA claims Paqueta deliberately wanted to be booked to make money for friends and family.

The 27-year-old midfielder has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. He claims his disciplinary record is merely a reflection of his aggressive playing style.

His legal team will argue that he’s a popular betting option for bookings because of his reputation for committing fouls.

Paqueta has already suffered the consequences of this case, and if the FA have their way, it could get worse.

The Brazilian was on course for a big-money £80 million move to Manchester City last summer, but they pulled out of the deal when the FA began their investigation.

He has also withdrawn from Brazil’s squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers to focus on his defence.

Paqueta’s woes began when the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) flagged unusual betting patterns.

Several bookmakers in Brazil reported an outrageous amount of people betting on him to receive a yellow card in a match against Aston Villa.

That sparked a series of investigations into the midfielder, which ultimately uncovered further suspicious activity around his bookings in other games.

One of the most controversial bookings came against Bournemouth in August 2023.

Paqueta picked up a needless yellow card for a handball late in stoppage time, although he had asked former Hammers manager David Moyes not to play him that day amid ongoing transfer talks with City.

His defence team is expected to use that as evidence to claim he had no intention of featuring in that game at all, talk more of getting booked for betting purposes.

Paqueta has fully cooperated with the FA’s investigation. He has turned in phone records, bank statements, and even his mobile phone.

However, he may have shot himself in the foot when he threw away his old phone after it was returned to him, with the FA likely to see that as an obstruction of the investigation.

Paqueta’s defence team is led by Nick De Marco KC, a top sports lawyer who represented Ivan Toney during his betting case and reduced his suspension to eight months.

If Paqueta is found guilty, Toney’s suspension could be used as a precedent for a reduced sentence, although the FA have made it clear that they’re pushing for the heaviest punishment possible.