Ancelotti and CBF coordinator explain Paquetá’s return to the Seleção | OneFootball

Lucas Paquetá is back with the Brazilian National Team after missing the last two call-ups. Coach Carlo Ancelotti stated that he wants to get to know the West Ham midfielder better.

“Paquetá is on the squad because I want to get to know him. He has many qualities. He is a very important midfielder who can play in different roles. I want to use this time to get to know him better,” he commented.

Rodrigo Caetano, general executive coordinator of the CBF Men’s National Teams, also spoke about the return of the 27-year-old player.

“Paquetá was called up until he was judged or investigated. From that moment on, it wasn’t because the CBF has the power to judge. It was about protecting the athlete. We spoke with him during the last call-up. Thank God, it’s great to have him eligible, with all of this resolved. It was much more about protecting him (the time away). Now, focused on West Ham and the National Team, the decision became a technical one,” he declared.

Paquetá’s last game for Brazil was on November 19, 2024, in the 1-1 draw with Uruguay. After that, he was left out of Dorival Júnior’s last list and Ancelotti’s first.

Paquetá Case

Since 2023, the midfielder had been under investigation due to accusations that he had deliberately received warnings to influence betting markets.

The player began to be investigated by the English Football Association for misconduct related to sports betting in four Premier League matches, which took place between November 2022 and August 2023, against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds United, and Bournemouth.

According to the FA, Paquetá allegedly tried to “influence the progress, conduct, or any other aspect or occurrence of these matches by intentionally trying to receive a card from the referee for the improper purpose of affecting the market so that one or more people could profit from betting.”

Faced with the fraud accusation, the entity requested the athlete’s ban from the sport. The player defended himself and presented his arguments to an independent committee. On July 31 of this year, he was officially acquitted.

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National Team Calendar

In third place in the standings, with 25 points and already qualified for the World Cup, the Brazilian National Team will host Chile on September 4, at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Maracanã. Next, Brazil will visit Bolivia on the 9th, at 8:30 p.m., in El Alto.

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