Lucas Paquetá has been cleared of spot-fixing following a two-year investigation by the Football Association. The West Ham midfielder was charged with four counts of being deliberately booked to influence betting markets on Premier League games in May 2024, but the independent regulatory commission has found the charges to be not proven.
Paquetá, who had faced a life ban, has asserted his innocence since being made aware of the investigation into suspicious betting patterns around bookings he received in four Premier League games while playing for West Ham in 2022 and 2023. The investigation led to the collapse of a proposed £85m move to Manchester City in August 2023. The 27-year-old has continued to play for West Ham and Brazil, who supported him throughout.
“Since the first day of this investigation I have maintained my innocence against these extremely serious accusations,” Paquetá said. “I can’t say anything more at this time, but I would like to express how grateful I am to God and how eager I am to return to playing football with a smile on my face.”
West Ham’s vice-chair, Karren Brady, said the club was pleased Paquetá had been cleared, adding that he had been “absolutely professional” throughout. Two lesser charges of failing to cooperate with the FA investigation were upheld, and the independent commission has yet to determine a sanction, though Paquetá is likely to be fined.
The matches in question were West Ham’s Premier League fixtures against Leicester on 12 November 2022, Aston Villa on 12 March 2023, Leeds on 21 May 2023 and Bournemouth on 12 August 2023. Paquetá’s lawyer praised his client’s resilience in continuing to play with a potential life ban hanging over him.
