The Football Association has been strongly criticised by the regulatory commission that cleared West Ham's Lucas Paquetá of spot-fixing charges, for failing to provide an independent assessment of betting data. A 314-page report published on Wednesday highlighted an 'obvious flaw' in the FA's case, namely the lack of an independent evaluation of the data.
The FA charged Paquetá with four counts of spot-fixing in May 2024, alleging he deliberately received yellow cards in four Premier League matches. The case centred on 27 individuals linked to Paquetá who placed suspicious bets, with combined stakes of £47,000 yielding £167,000 in profits. However, the commission concluded there was no evidence of corruption, suggesting the betting patterns were more likely due to 'hot tips' or perceived inside information within Brazil.
The commission was particularly critical of FA betting integrity investigator Tom Astley, noting that the failure to produce an independent assessment was 'surprising'. It also highlighted a contradiction between Astley's description of the betting as 'highly orchestrated' and the views of the FA's main prosecutor, Jonathan Laidlaw KC, who disagreed. The commission stated that 'the FA was not altogether certain what case it was presenting against the player'.
Paquetá's defence included testimony from former West Ham manager David Moyes and former referee Mark Clattenburg, who described his on-field actions as normal. The commission also questioned the independence of the FA's expert witness, Jack Johnson, accusing him of 'confirmation bias'. Additionally, Paquetá faces separate sanctions for failing to cooperate with the investigation, though the commission noted the FA declined to question him after he offered to answer queries.
