🚨 Lucas Paquetá cleared by the English FA | OneFootball

After years of waiting, the future of Lucas Paquetá was decided this Thursday (31).

The West Ham midfielder was ACQUITTED following a decision by the English Football Association, the FA.

West Ham itself shared the information on its social media.

"West Ham United can confirm that an independent Regulatory Commission has acquitted Paquetá of misconduct charges made against him by the English Federation for alleged breaches of FA rule E5," the statement reads.

The entity understood that the Brazilian was not guilty of forcing yellow cards in favor of bettors.

The trial hearing began on March 17, and there was an expectation of a resolution in three weeks, which did not occur.

The Brazilian now anticipates a career change during this transfer window.

According to the press, the midfielder's idea was either to return to Flamengo or to compete in this season's Champions League.

At 27, Paquetá has a contract with the English club until mid-2027.

The player, however, could be negotiated. Flamengo would be one of the interested parties.

FA Statement

The English Federation also issued a statement. Check out the full text:

An independent Regulatory Commission concluded that the misconduct charges against Lucas Paquetá of West Ham United for alleged breaches of FA Rule E5 were not proven.

Lucas Paquetá was accused of four alleged breaches of FA Rule E5.1 regarding his conduct during the club's Premier League matches against Leicester City on November 12, 2022; Aston Villa on March 12, 2023; Leeds United on May 21, 2023; and AFC Bournemouth on August 12, 2023.

It was alleged that Lucas Paquetá sought to directly influence the progress, conduct, or any other aspect or occurrence of these matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market so that one or more persons could profit from the bets.

Lucas Paquetá denied the charges against him, and the Regulatory Commission found them unproven after a hearing.

The Regulatory Commission found that the misconduct charges against the player for alleged breaches of FA Rule F3 were proven.

Lucas Paquetá was accused of two breaches of FA Rule F3 regarding alleged failures to fulfill his obligations to answer questions and provide information to the FA investigation.

Lucas Paquetá denied the charges against him, but the Regulatory Commission found them proven after the hearing. The Regulatory Commission will decide on an appropriate sanction for these violations as soon as possible.

The FA awaits the written reasons from the Regulatory Commission regarding its decisions on the charges and will not comment further until then.

The Case

Lucas Paquetá was formally charged by the FA in May 2024, 10 months after the investigation began.

The Brazilian was accused of four breaches of the English Federation's Rule E5.1.

According to the FA, he forced yellow cards in four West Ham Premier League matches between November 2022 and August 2023.

The matches were against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds, and Bournemouth.

Paquetá previously stated he denied any involvement in wrongdoing.

In a statement, the entity pointed out that he attempted to "influence the progress, conduct, or any other aspect or occurrence of these matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market so that one or more persons could profit from the bets."

On the same day the charge was presented, Paquetá defended himself through social media.

"I am extremely surprised and upset that the FA has decided to charge me. I have cooperated with all stages of the investigation and provided all the information I could during these nine months. I deny the charges in full and will fight with all my strength to clear my name," the midfielder posted at the time.

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

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