West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta is considering suing the English Football Association (FA) after he was cleared of misconduct in a long-running betting case. The FA revealed the allegations against the Brazilian native in August 2023; an independent commission found him not guilty in July.
alleged to have intentionally received yellow cards in four English Premier League (EPL) games
The commission released its full decision on Wednesday, and the FA has already confirmed it doesn’t intend to appeal. The 28-year-old was alleged to have intentionally received yellow cards in four English Premier League (EPL) games in 2022 and 2023, with sportsbooks growing suspicious of betting patterns.
A total of 253 people placed £47,000 ($63,087) worth of bets, making a total profit of £167,000 ($224,163). Paqueta said he knew five of the individuals. The commission concluded that the player’s conduct didn’t indicate in any way that he deliberately received yellow cards. Investigators also did not find a single mention of betting or gambling on the player’s phones, which aligns with his suggestion that he has no interest in betting.
While Paqueta is considering legal action, West Ham won’t pursue the FA over the £80m ($92m) transfer to Manchester City that was scuppered when the allegations came to light.
