West Ham midfielder Lucas Paquetá has been accused by the English Football Association (FA) of breaching betting rules.
The FA charges claim that Paquetá 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 will benefit from the bets.”
The FA statement said the breaches relate to three matches of the 2022-23 season, the first in the Premier League with the east London club and the first match of the 2023-24 campaign.
The matches were 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.
Paquetá denied the charges in an Instagram post.
“I am extremely surprised and upset that the FA have decided to charge me,” he said. “I have cooperated at every step of your investigation and provided all the information I could.
“I deny the charges in their entirety and will fight with all my might to clear my name. I will have no further comment.”
The FA statement noted that Paquetá has until June 3 to formally respond to the charges.
In August 2023, sources told ESPN that the FA was investigating Paquetá for possible infringements. He continued to play for West Ham during the investigation and was called up to the Brazil squad for next month's Copa America.
Paquetá helped West Ham lift the Europa Conference League trophy in his first season at the London Stadium after a £50m transfer from Lyon in 2022. This season, he recorded four goals and six assists as West Ham finished nineth.
West Ham noted the charges in a statement.
“The club will continue to stand by and support the player throughout the process and will not make any further comments until the matter is concluded,” they said.
Paquetá also played for AC Milan and Flamengo and was part of the Brazil team in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Betting charges have become more common in English football in recent years, with Brentford striker Ivan Toney and Newcastle player Sandro Tonali missing matches for breaking FA rules.
