First, a context. Lucas Paqueta came out of the London stadium tunnel for Sunday’s draw with Tottenham Hotspur holding the hands of his two sons, Benicio and Filippo. They wore United West Ham shirts with “dad” and “10” on their backs.
He was organized as a treat for Filippo after having been four years old. Tomas Soucek gave him a High Five as they were lining up, saying: “Birthday boys!” Pacouta’s wife, Duda, turned everything on her phone as a proud mom would do.
It was already a poignant day for Pacouta, and whatever your opinion of the 27 -year -old Brazilian and the accusations of fixing the spots that were via the football association, this can help explain why this particular match carried him an additional emotional advantage for him personally.
Mail Sport revealed on April 1, how Pacouta had trouble enduring the burden of his Paris trial, sources stressing how trying it was. He received 29 yellow cards since it was revealed that the FA has investigated him, or rather 29 open reminders of the alleged offense which could still deprive him of his career as a footballer accused of being reserved expressly.
Usually he is fine, this yellow flash never penetrated his psyche. He commits a fault. He gets a card. He moves on to something else. Mail Sport mentioned in our previous reports how the initiates of West Ham praised his professionalism, never to bring his luggage to training or even to the games.
However, when Michael Oliver showed him that the 29th caution since his career was placed under the threat of forgetting, he seemed to blend into tears. His shirt turned into a handkerchief. He had to be consoled by Jarrod Bowen, who imitated Gary Lineker showing a concern for Paul Gascoigne in 1990. Manager Graham Potter was alerted to what was going on and substituted Paqueta.
Lucas Paqueta is melted in tears after being carded during the draw of West Ham with Tottenham
The West Ham star always faces
Maria Eduarda Fournier shared an emotional declaration on social networks when she expressed the desire that her husband was shown more respect, labeling the people of “nasty and unfair”
We are told that Bowen checked it later within the limits of the locker room thereafter. He fell as well at that time, although disappointed to have drawn himself with a team from Tottenham in the second rope.
Duda broke his rule afterwards. She has published a statement describing the last two years as a “nightmare” for her husband. It was indeed difficult for him, and West Ham’s sources say they suspect that the events of the past few weeks have also contributed to what we saw on Sunday.
Mail Sport broke that Paqueta was investigated on August 18, 2023. The FA officially billed on May 23, 2024.
The initiates say that Paqueta mentally built for his trial, which began on March 17 of this year. He thought that it would not last more than three weeks, then the confirmation came that he had not done what the FA claims.
However, the extent of the evaluated evidence meant that it was not concluded at the end of its three -week allut period, and the hearing was placed on an interruption.
Mail Sport was informed that he would resume this month, but on variable dates when the members of the court, as well as the council of both parties, are available.
This means that the hell of Pacouta is prolonged, and it now approaches a summer during which his life could be still upset if he is found guilty. A senior source in West Ham said that there had been “no mental stress on him and his family” when he was contacted.
We do not know if package is guilty or innocent. He himself does not know which verdict will be reached. The people involved in the case say that there have been “good days and bad days”, but they are not even wiser on the way it will end.
Paqueta fought to prove that it is innocent to pick up yellow cards on purpose during the matches to influence the results of the bets but faces a life ban if it is found guilty by the panel
West Ham’s teammate Jarrod Bowen quickly rushed alongside Paqueta against Tottenham
Paqueta’s wife, Maria Eduarda Fournier, said they had lived this nightmare for two years’ with the West Ham star pending the result of a stains fixing survey
The initiates of West Ham fear that the chances will be stacked against them due to the standard of evidence based on a “balance of probabilities” as opposed to the most rigorous “out of any reasonable doubt”.
The club has never put pressure on package to play for them while all of this is in progress. They always allowed him to have a last word to say if he feels mentally prepared.
On Sunday, we witnessed a human being seeming to complete under the weight of the last two years, and Paqueta can only hope that the FA is not to prevent it from walking on a field with Benicio and Filippo.
