This Friday (01), coach Dorival Júnior will make his first call-up for the Brazilian team‘s friendlies against Spain and England in March. And the coach raises the possibility of including Lucas Paquetá among them.
Although he was excluded from the latest FIFA dates under Fernando Diniz, due to investigations into alleged involvement with sports betting, the midfielder continues to stand out at West Ham.
Dorival’s trust in Paquetá is evident, as demonstrated by his visit to London to speak with the player, understand the process in detail and observe other potential talents.
However, investigations conducted by the English Federation (FA) have remained stagnant since October.
The initial deadline for completing the FA investigation was October 11, 2023, one month after Paquetá’s testimony.
However, in October, the federation requested new evidence, extending the deadline without setting a new date for the final opinion. Since then, there have been no significant developments.
Understand the case of Lucas Paquetá
When contacted by press outlets, the FA did not comment on the case or offer predictions about the next steps. People close to Paquetá say they have not received updates on the case and are powerless to speed up the process.
So far, the English federation has not indicated the existence of direct evidence linking the player to the incident.
Despite the uncertainty, both the CBF and Dorival Júnior are convinced of Paquetá’s integrity, choosing to no longer restrict his call-up to the Brazilian team.
Summary
The investigations into Lucas Paquetá began following a report presented by Sportradar to the FA. The document identified unusual bets on two matches on March 12, 2023, one from the English championship and the other from the Spanish championship.
Predictions indicated that Paquetá would receive a yellow card in the game between West Ham and Aston Villa, and Luiz Henrique, (now a Botafogo player), would be cautioned with a yellow card in the clash between Real Betis and Villareal.
Both players received cards as expected.
Initial analysis showed the creation of multiple accounts with West Ham sponsor Betway, with users depositing the maximum allowed.
In addition to affecting his participation in the national team’s call-ups, the investigations also had repercussions on the English market for Paquetá.
After the case became public, Manchester City, interested in signing the player, withdrew from negotiations, ending an offer of 70 million pounds (R$437 million) to West Ham.
As the investigation into Paquetá’s alleged involvement in betting continues, uncertainty looms over his future in football. After all, City is considering resuming talks at the end of the season.
Meanwhile, his ability on the field remains undeniable, and his presence in potential call-ups for the Brazilian national team reflects Dorival and the CBF’s confidence in the athlete. Therefore, this uncertainty tends to be resolved in the next few hours at the CBF headquarters.
