The FA are seeking to hand Lucas Paqueta a lifetime ban.The FA are seeking to hand Lucas Paqueta a lifetime ban.
The FA are seeking to hand Lucas Paqueta a lifetime ban. | Getty Images
A trial for West Ham footballer Lucas Paqueta has entered its third week.
The Brazilian midfielder has found himself at the heart of a spot-fixing trial, with allegations that he intentionally picked up yellow cards between 2022 and 2024. Paqueta, 27, is accused of spot-fixing - the act of taking deliberate actions during a game in order to defraud bookmakers.
All major bookies now allow gamblers to place bets on individual statistics, such as the number of throw-ins and corners in a game, including the number of yellow cards. The FA has alleged that Paqueta purposely picked up yellow cards in four matches for West Ham - against Leicester in November 2022, Aston Villa in March 2023, Leeds in May 2023 and Bournemouth in August 2023.
A trial exploring whether Paqueta is guilty of this commenced on March 17, with the FA bringing the charges. Paqueta has denied any wrongdoing and has been training as normal, and according to West Ham manager Graham Potter is still available for selection.
The FA are seeking to hand Lucas Paqueta a lifetime ban.The FA are seeking to hand Lucas Paqueta a lifetime ban.
The FA are seeking to hand Lucas Paqueta a lifetime ban. | Getty Images
Potter said: “It is what it is. We can't do anything about [the hearing], but he has trained well and he is acting absolutely normally. He has just got to deal with what he has got to deal with but from our perspective he is available and we are looking forward to him playing.”
If found guilty, Paqueta faces a lengthy ban on the sidelines. According to reports, the FA is seeking a lifetime ban for the Brazilian.
Since Michail Antonio was injured in a car accident and Niclas Fullkrug picked up a hamstring injury, Paqueta has been playing as a makeshift striker for the Hammers. He was not called up for his national team during the international break, where Brazil took on Colombia and Argentina in their 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Speaking in February, Paqueta said: “I think that confidence, between him [Potter] making things very clear to me, what I can do, what I should do, has given me a lot of confidence to do my best.
“We've really enjoyed working under the new coaching staff. All the ideas he's put forward are very clear, very organised, I think it's simple for us to understand.”
West Ham are currently 16th in the Premier League, and are 17 points clear of the relegation zone.