Lucas Paquetá cleared after betting scandal, West Ham confirm decision | OneFootball

Reported in May 2024 for alleged involvement in a betting scheme, Lucas Paquetá has had his football future decided

The Regulatory Commission acquitted Lucas Paquetá of accusations of involvement in sports betting manipulation. The investigation concluded that the midfielder did not commit any infraction, as officially confirmed by West Ham (ENG). The English Football Association (FA) had accused the player of misconduct related to betting, initiating a process that dragged on for several months.

In the decision announced this Thursday (31), those responsible for analyzing the case considered that the accusations were not proven in court. As a result, the player received full clearance to play for the English club, without any legal or sporting restrictions. The acquittal ended a turbulent episode and allows the focus to return exclusively to on-field performance.

Shortly after the decision was made public, Lucas Paquetá publicly celebrated the outcome. “The enemies will come against us by one way, but by seven ways they will flee!” he wrote in a post on social media. The player highlighted the innocent stance he maintained since the beginning of the investigation and expressed gratitude to God, his family, the club, the fans, and the legal team responsible for his defense.

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WHY WAS LUCAS PAQUETÁ INVESTIGATED?

The case began in May 2024, when the English Football Association (FA) accused Paquetá of attempting to manipulate bets by deliberately getting yellow cards in four Premier League matches. The games investigated were against Leicester City (ENG), Aston Villa (ENG), Leeds United (ENG), and Bournemouth (ENG). In all of them, the midfielder received a warning.

The FA even requested the player’s ban, but the Regulatory Commission concluded that there was not enough evidence. Therefore, with the decision announced this Thursday (31), Paquetá is cleared to play as normal and returns to the pitch with the case closed.

PAQUETÁ PUNISHED DESPITE BEING ACQUITTED?

Despite acquitting Lucas Paquetá of the accusations of betting manipulation, the Regulatory Commission found the player guilty of violating FA Rule F3 twice. The decision stated that the athlete failed to answer questions and did not provide requested information during the investigation. The FA is awaiting the written grounds for the decision and, until then, will not comment on the case.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.