West Ham midfielder Lucas Paquetá could remain active at the club next season, despite facing accusations of match-fixing by the English Football Association (FA).
The complexity of the case, which involves several parties and countries, indicates that the outcome could last until next year, according to the British newspaper The Times. Currently, Paquetá, 26, is authorized to play until the disciplinary process is completed.
Experts say the decision could be delayed until the end of next season or beyond.
Paquetá’s lawyers predict it will take months to gather all the witness statements and relevant information, which fuels West Ham’s optimism regarding the player’s availability for the 2024/2025 season under new manager Julen Lopetegui.
At the same time, Flamengo showed interest in negotiating with the midfielder, who recently played in the Copa América for the Brazilian team amid accusations from the FA.
Investigations into the case of Lucas Paquetá ongoing
At the end of May, the FA formally accused Paquetá of violating betting conduct rules. Thus, the federation alleged that the player attempted to directly influence the progress and conduct of matches, intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee in order to affect the betting market and financially benefit third parties.
The matches being investigated by the FA include games 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.
On his Instagram account, Paquetá denied the accusations and stated that he had fully cooperated with the investigation.
“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 be providing further comment,” the player posted.
The FA had set June 3 as the deadline for Paquetá to respond to the accusations. That day, the Brazilian’s lawyers managed to postpone the deadline, which has not yet been defined.
Paquetá at Flamengo?
Meanwhile, Flamengo is in negotiations with West Ham to try to bring Paquetá in the current transfer window. However, the Brazilian club is taking a cautious approach to avoid losses if the FA punishes the player, which could also result in a punishment from FIFA.
