Credit: Google/FA
Lucas Paqueta, 27-year-old Brazilian international footballer, plays as an attacking midfielder for West Ham United. An investigation into potential betting breaches by Paqueta was started by the Football Association (FA) for his conduct some time ago. The Brazilian international was later charged by the FA for alleged breaches of their rules, where it was alleged that he intentionally sought to receive a yellow card from the referee in matches to influence the betting market for personal profit.
Lucas Paqueta denied the charges and said he was "extremely surprised and upset" to be charged and claimed to be innocent in this matter. He was cleared on four counts of supposed spot-fixing by an independent commission in July 2025, proven "not guilty". The independent commission concluded that Paqueta’s on-field conduct had nothing which advanced the FA’s case that he had been booked on purpose. After the FA decided to not appeal the decision, it is understood that he is planning to sue them for their misjudgment and even seek compensation for the same, as reported by the BBC Sport.
The commission concluded that betting data analysis was not illustrative of spot-fixing in Lucas Paqueta's case
Nick de Marco, who was part of Lucas Paqueta’s team in this legal case, stated that he was delighted after hearing that his client was cleared of all the serious charges of spot-fixing. He further added, "The decision is understood to be the longest sports-related judgment ever issued in the world - a reflection of how serious the case was, the amount of evidence deployed in what was the biggest case in the FA's history."
The independent commission concluded that he analysis of the betting data was not illustrative of the reports of spot-fixing apart from stating that it had many aspects inconsistent with a spot-fix but consistent with alternative explanations. Lucas Paqueta, who has suffered a lot due to the allegation - reportedly missing out on a £80 million deal to Manchester City - will try his level best to seek justice and fair compensation for the same.
