Lucas Paqueta’s head must be all over the place right now.
The West Ham star is currently facing allegations of potential breaches of betting rules.
There have been numerous twists and turns for Lucas Paqueta since the investigation into his alleged misdemeanours began.
It recently came to light that West Ham star Lucas Paqueta failed to hand over his phone to the FA for a second time, because had already disposed of it.
Actions like that from Lucas have seemingly made the FA doubt him even more.
Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
Graham Potter has helped reinvigorate Paqueta since his arrival at the London Stadium.
However, that could all be taken away from him very soon. His trial in England is expected to begin later this month, and the West Ham owners fear Lucas Paqueta could receive a lifetime ban if he’s proven guilty of the charges he faces.
Lucas Paqueta twist after strong denials
The Brazilian midfielder has been battling to clear his name since the investigation began way back in August 2023.
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Lucas Paqueta broke his silence regarding the betting breach trial in October 2024 and released a lengthy statement pleading his innocence.
The 27-year-old said, “Some of that information is entirely false and appears designed to undermine my position,“ as he lamented the fact that details of his case were being leaked to the press.
In fairness, that’s the least of his worries really.
The Brazilian has to try and perform for West Ham at the very highest level, with all of that worry going on in the background.
It can’t be easy can it.
As things stand, he is still very much innocent until proven guilty.
Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
However, unlike criminal trials, it seems like the panel just need to vote 51% in favour of the Brazilian being guilty in order to reach that verdict.
West Ham board leak new Lucas Paqueta verdict stance
According to The Daily Mail, the West Ham hierarchy are fearing the worst when it comes to Lucas Paqueta’s trial.
The Mail say:
“Senior West Ham sources are not confident of a victory as they believe the odds are stacked against the club and their player.“
“That is owing to the standard of proof being based on a ‘balance of probabilities’ – as in civil law cases – as opposed to the more rigorous ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ threshold applied in criminal proceedings.“
“In other words, the FA only need to prove it is more likely than not that Paqueta engaged in spot-fixing by deliberately being booked to influence betting markets, and West Ham insiders have described it as ‘savage’ and ‘very wrong’ that a career could be destroyed on a potential ‘51 per cent’ guilty verdict.“
That doesn’t sound good at all does it.
If Lucas Paqueta is found guilty, and is handed a lifetime ban from the game, if will be terrible news for him and West Ham of course.
We will have a fantastic player on our books who we can’t use and an asset who we can’t sell.
The fact that this investigation and subsequent trial has taken so long is probably the one thing in his favour. Let’s not forget, Paqueta has been cleared in Brazil as well.
So it’s not all doom and gloom, but the latest update looks pretty grim for West Ham star Lucas Paqueta.