Ednaldo Rodrigues, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), authorized the call-ups of Luiz Henrique, Botafogo striker, and Lucas Paquetá, West Ham midfielder, despite recent controversies involving an alleged match-fixing scheme.
The release occurs in a delicate context, with an ongoing investigation by the English Football Association (FA) into possible irregularities.
Last week, information emerged that Luiz Henrique had received money from family members of West Ham player Lucas Paquetá. Consequently, this raised suspicions about possible involvement in betting schemes.
According to the UOL portal, Luiz Henrique received two deposits via PIX, totaling R$40 thousand. These deposits came shortly after LaLiga matches in which he received yellow cards.
Meanwhile, Paquetá is being investigated by the English FA for allegedly manipulating the receipt of yellow cards in four Premier League games.
On the other hand, Luiz Henrique does not face any formal charges so far. However, the proximity between the events involving both players generated speculation.
Ednaldo Rodrigues talks about the controversy involving Lucas Paquetá and Luiz Henrique
This Thursday, Ednaldo Rodrigues commented on the situation in an interview with the UOL portal, clarifying the CBF‘s position in relation to the topic.
The president assured that there is, so far, no concrete evidence that would prevent the players from being called up: “You can call them up,” said Ednaldo, in reference to Luiz Henrique and Paquetá.
He further explained that, in the specific case of Paquetá, the CBF consulted the Premier League and did not obtain information that indicated any ongoing punishment: “We have not found that there is any type of situation regarding these athletes so far.
“We don’t have it. We are already aware of what we said at the time in relation to Paquetá – we asked the League (Premier League) to find out all the details. She replied that there was no penalty situation that was foreseen”, explained Rodrigues.
Regarding Luiz Henrique’s possible connection with Paquetá’s relatives, the president of the CBF reinforced that the presumption of innocence will be maintained until the investigations bring definitive conclusions.
“We have the habit of not pre-judging anyone. And always providing conditions to listen to the parties. And each one can have their own broad defense and contradiction in everything that is said and speculated. We give all of them the presumption of innocence”, declared the president.
Next commitments of the Brazilian team
The coach of the Brazilian team, Dorival Júnior, will announce this Friday the squad list for the next matches of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The team will face Chile on the 10th of October and Peru on the 15th of the same month. The call is scheduled for 1 pm (Brasília time).
Even with the controversies involving the two players, the expectation is that both will be on the list for the team’s next games. Meanwhile, investigations will continue, especially in the case of Lucas Paquetá.
He awaits the conclusion of the investigations by the English Federation. However, the midfielder, an important player in the team’s tactical scheme, could face severe punishment if the accusations are confirmed, such as a ban from football.
