West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been charged by the Football Association (FA) with intentionally getting booked for the betting market.
The FA alleges that the Brazilian international breached FA Rules in Premier League games against Leceister City, Aston Villa, Leeds United and Bournemouth.
A statement from the FA read: “It’s alleged that he directly sought to influence the progress, conduct or any other aspect of, or occurrence in these matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market in order for one or more persons to profit from betting.
“Lucas Paqueta has also been charged with two breaches of FA Rule F3 in respect of alleged failures to comply pursuant to FA Rule F2.”
The 26-year-old has been under investigation since last summer following suspicious betting patterns surrounding him receiving yellow cards.
Paqueta also faces additional charges for failing to cooperate with the FA’s investigation. He has until June 3 to respond to the allegations and can ask for an extension.
He continues to deny all the charges levelled against him, and the Hammers released a statement standing by the midfielder.
Despite the charges, the former AC Milan and Lyon star has been included in Brazil’s Copa America squad by manager Dorival Junior.
The FA’s investigation scuppered a potential £80 million transfer to Manchester City last summer.
The investigation began after an unusual volume of bets originated from Brazil on Paqueta receiving a yellow card in West Ham’s home game against Aston Villa.
He was booked in the 70th minute for a challenge on John McGinn. Similar bookings occurred in subsequent matches against Leeds and Bournemouth.
The bets originated from accounts registered near Paqueta’s hometown.
The suspicious activity was reported to the International Betting Integrity Association. They alerted FIFA and the FA.
Paqueta’s future remains uncertain as he awaits the outcome of the FA’s investigation.
