Lucas Paqueta betting charge: How the case was constructed as the West Ham star could face a 10-YEAR ban from football, including a fourth warning when he was already the subject of a investigation

Magnificent footballer, Lucas Paqueta, full of flair and playground panache. West Ham’s most fascinating man to watch since Dimitri Payet. Makes mugs to those who try to take the ball from him but who love cards, as they say on the terraces.

From now on, Paqueta finds himself associated with the ugly side of football. He is accused of deliberately picking up yellow cards in four Premier League matches for the perverse reason of ensuring bets were won against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth.

Now West Ham can only wonder if his career will be as good as over if he is found guilty of spot-fixing. It’s a miserable situation for the playmaker who fed the ball to Jarrod Bowen to win the Europa Conference League and a headache for Julen Lopetegui, who was announced as his new manager on Thursday.

It took the FA nine months to gather the evidence that made them confident enough to press charges, with Thursday’s announcement bringing us back to August 18, 2023.

It was an ordinary day until a tip from a friend came through on WhatsApp, suggesting we should take a closer look at why Paqueta’s £85 million move to Manchester City had suddenly collapsed for unknown reasons.

Paqueta was particularly scrutinized for four bookings, the first of which is above

A tackle on John McGinn also raised alarms about Europe’s integrity.

“I heard he is being investigated for betting violations,” the message read. “I don’t know how concrete it is. A subject to examine.

Confirmation of this led to Mail Sport breaking the news the same day – Paqueta investigation, suspicious bets placed in Brazil traced to where he grew up, City spooked, more to follow. It turned out to be much more. We then revealed the yellow cards in question, including an injury-time warning at Bournemouth when Paqueta was blissfully unaware he was already under investigation.

We have learned that of all bookmakers, it was Betway – West Ham’s shirt sponsor – who reported the suspicious patterns to the International Betting Integrity Association after its alert system was triggered.

We learned how Paqueta privately admitted he didn’t possess the best tackling technique – a limitation that was being tested when boss David Moyes ordered him back – and that West Ham were impressed with his daily output, despite the distraction. of his investigation.

We visited Paqueta Island in Guanabara Bay, a quiet paradise near Rio de Janeiro where you will find no cars or hustle and bustle, only mango trees, sandy beaches, fishing boats, playing fields. footvolley, a distant view of Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain and pride in how their most famous son reached the Premier League.

Leeds’ Crycencio Summerville was brought down by Paqueta, who was booked for this tackle

Paqueta was under investigation when he received the yellow card against Bournemouth

Children play soccer on the island of Paqueta, the sleepy little slice of paradise from which the player takes his name

Paqueta Island was full of talk of the betting investigation when the news broke last year

Paqueta’s real name is Lucas Tolentino Coelho de Lima, but it is common in Brazil to adopt the region you are from as your last name. News of his investigation coincided with the island’s biggest event of the year, the Festa de Sao Roque, a religious festival in which all 4,000 residents come together to celebrate life. The speculation was the talk of the town, adding to the fireworks already going off overhead.

A man called Helter Gerard said: “It’s a different world when someone achieves what he did and that’s why I don’t think he’s involved in these betting schemes. He really liked getting into mischief on the island with his brother, but doing something incredibly wrong like that isn’t him.

Another, Marcos Silva de Avila, told us that no one here would ever consider trying to cause trouble for Paqueta: “There are only small salaries on the island and people would not endanger the career of a loved one just to make money.”

It was an open secret among West Ham sources that he was set to leave this summer, with Mail Sport revealing how his contract contained an £85m release clause which will become active once that window opens.

Paqueta is no stranger to playing cards but four in particular were involved

Last night, a West Ham insider said City were not the only ones going in circles, however. Although his performances in the second half of this Premier League season were not his best, the Hammers had received inquiries from clubs all over the world.

They wanted his creativity, his spice, even his mischievous side. It’s what makes him who he is and it’s remarkable that his full range of flicks and tricks were on display on the final day of the season at the Etihad Stadium, as City beat West Ham 3-1 to become champion. But, above all, this same Hammers source added last night: “No one will take him with a charge hanging over him.”

The feeling is that they are now stuck, he and West Ham, who cannot say for sure whether he will ever be seen again in claret and blue.

Paqueta expressed surprise at the accusations and continues to deny any wrongdoing

Paqueta showed off his skills on the final day of the season against former contenders Man City

Paqueta insists he is innocent. Fiercely, in fact, issuing a statement in which he said: “I am extremely surprised and upset that the FA have decided to charge me. For nine months, I cooperated with every step of their investigation and provided every information possible. I deny the accusations in their entirety and will fight at all times to clear my name.

This cooperation included the return of his cell phone. You suspect he spent a lot of time on that device yesterday talking to lawyers in an effort to find out his chances of clearing his name.