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PAQ'S LIFE BAN
FA want to ban Lucas Paqueta for LIFE as extraordinary details of alleged betting scam revealed… with one worth just £7
Around SIXTY people placed bets on Paqueta yellow cards, winning a total of £100k
THE FA want Lucas Paqueta banned from football for LIFE.
West Ham’s Brazil midfielder was charged with four counts of spot-fixing last month after being accused of deliberately getting booked in Premier League matches.
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Paqueta insists he is innocent — but SunSport has learned the FA charge sheet includes a recommendation that he be banned for life if found guilty.
Stratford Town defender Kynan Isaac was given a ten-year suspension for betting on himself to be booked in an FA Cup tie in 2021.
While Lincoln City defender Bradley Wood copped a six-year exile for deliberately getting a yellow card on two occasions in another FA Cup betting scam three years earlier.
However, FA prosecutors argue 26-year-old Paqueta’s alleged offences are even more serious.
SunSport can reveal the full extraordinary details of the alleged betting scam for the first time – with one of bets placed on the Brazilian to be given a yellow card worth as little as £7.
Paqueta is accused of deliberately getting booked in four Prem games — against Leicester in 2022, plus Aston Villa, Leeds United and Bournemouth, all in 2023 — to make money for friends.
It is understood around SIXTY people placed bets on Paqueta to be booked in one or all of those matches, with the stakes ranging from just £7 to £400, leading to combined winnings of £100,000.
And in an ironic twist, the first gaming company to sound the alarm over suspicious betting patterns was Betway — the Hammers’ main shirt sponsor.
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The series of small bets were placed on Paqueta Island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, sparking an investigation which resulted in the FA’s charges of spot-fixing.
Their probe has already KO’d his £80million move to Manchester City but Paqueta’s lawyers will argue evidence against him is purely circumstantial.
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The FA’s investigation began last summer after they received an integrity alert from gambling companies due to the unusual number of bets placed on him to be booked traced to the island where he was born.
SunSport also revealed yesterday Paqueta asked not to play in the fateful game that triggered the FA’s spot-fixing investigation — West Ham’s opening game of this season at the Cherries — as he was on the verge of his move to City.
Paqueta’s lawyers were yesterday granted more time to formally respond to the charges. The case is not expected to proceed to a hearing for several months.
Over six months elapsed between the FA charging Ivan Toney with betting offences before he was found guilty last summer.
The FOUR games Paqueta has been charged for
LUCAS PAQUETA has been charged by the FA over four specific games...
FIRST INCIDENT - West Ham 0-2 Leicester, 60th minute
The Brazilian was booked for lunging into Leicester's Boubakary Soumare from behind.
After initially playing the advantage, referee Jarred Gillett eventually pulled it back and brandished the yellow.
SECOND INCIDENT - West Ham 1-1 Aston Villa, 70th minute
Four months later against Aston Villa Paqueta slid into John McGinn inside the centre circle, completely missing the ball and instead catching his legs.
THIRD INCIDENT - West Ham 3-1 Leeds, 65th minute
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign against Leeds at the London Stadium Paqueta tripped Crysencio Summerville from behind.
The foul prevented the visitors from breaking on the counter attack.
FOURTH INCIDENT - Bournemouth 1-1 West Ham, 93rd minute
With just a few minutes remaining on the opening day of the season, Paqueta jumped up for an aerial challenge but instead handled the ball.
The referee, who was standing directly in front of him, was quick to brandish the yellow.
And given that Paqueta’s career is at stake, this case is likely to take even longer.
There are also issues of jurisdiction to resolve, with the FA still in the process of collecting betting data from Brazil.
Paqueta has been left devastated by the charges, with West Ham having serious concerns over his mental wellbeing.
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He has returned to Brazil and hopes to play in the Copa America this summer.
The FA, Paqueta’s legal representatives and West Ham were all approached for comment.
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