The Football Association has faced strong criticism from the regulatory commission that cleared West Ham's Lucas Paquetá of spot-fixing charges, over its failure to provide an independent assessment of betting data. A 314-page report published on Wednesday described the FA's evidence as containing 'an obvious flaw, namely the lack of an independent assessment of the data'.
The FA charged Paquetá in May 2024 after a 10-month investigation into yellow cards received in four Premier League matches. Its case centred on connections between the Brazilian and 27 of 253 individuals who placed suspicious bets on him to be booked, with combined bets of £47,000 yielding a £167,000 profit. However, the commission concluded there was no evidence of corruption, attributing unusual betting patterns to 'the rather random passing of hot tips or perceived inside information within Brazil'.
The report was particularly damning of FA betting integrity investigator Tom Astley, who was the governing body's chief witness. The commission noted that the FA appeared to contradict its own witness, with lead prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw KC disagreeing with Astley's description of betting patterns as 'highly orchestrated'. The commission stated: 'The clear appearance given to the commission was that the FA was not altogether certain what case it was presenting against the player.'
Evidence from former West Ham manager David Moyes and ex-referee Mark Clattenburg helped clear Paquetá. Clattenburg described the player's on-field actions as 'entirely within the normal range for this player', while the defence showed his yellow card rate remained consistent across the period. The commission also questioned the independence of the FA's expert witness, Jack Johnson of Stats Perform Integrity Services, accusing him of 'confirmation bias'.
Paquetá faces a separate sanctions hearing after being found guilty of two lesser charges of failing to fully cooperate with the FA's investigation. The report revealed that Paquetá later offered to answer questions, but the FA declined to ask any. The commission expressed surprise that 'the FA were apparently not interested in what the player had to say'.
