Brazilian Lucas Paquetá was indicted this Thursday by the English Football Association for misconduct related to sports betting. The West Ham athlete from England allegedly forced cards to be received on four different occasions, with the aim of benefiting the betting market.
The player was charged with four breaches of FA Rule E5.1 in relation to his conduct at West Ham’s Premier League games. The matches would be against Leicester City, on November 12, 2022; Aston Villa on March 12, 2023; Leeds United on May 21, 2023; and Bournemouth on August 12, 2023.
“It is alleged that he sought to directly influence the progress, conduct or any other aspect or occurrence in these matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee with the improper purpose of affecting the betting market so that one or more people could profit,” said the FA in an official statement.
Paquetá immediately published a response on his social networks with an air of incredibility, claiming that he cooperated with the investigations and that he is innocent.
“I am extremely surprised and upset that the FA have decided to charge me. I cooperated with all stages of the investigation and provided all the information I could during these 9 months. I deny the accusations completely and will fight with all my strength to clear my name. Due to the ongoing process, I will not provide any further comments,” the midfielder wrote.
Photo: REPRODUCTION
The player, who was called up by Dorival Júnior to compete in the Copa América, has until June 3rd to provide a response to the accusations.
2024-05-23 15:44:00
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