If you’ve watched West Ham United or the Brazilian national team play in recent years, you’ll have probably seen Lucas Paquetá play in the attacking midfield role.
He’s been alleged to have intentionally received yellow cards, manipulating the sports betting industry for his financial gain.
What happens next for the player as betting sites and offshore sportsbooks push for potential punishments?
The Allegations Against Paquetá
In May 2024, the FA, the governing body of football in England, stated:
“It’s alleged that he [Paqueta] directly sought to influence the progress, conduct, or any other aspect of, or occurrence in these matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market in order for one or more persons to profit from betting.”
Later, news broke that betting activity was found on his devices, chiefly regarding his appearances against Leicester City, Aston Villa, Leeds United, and AFC Bournemouth in prior seasons.
It’s alleged that in these games, he intentionally received yellow cards and informed many of his associates of his intention to get cards so they could profit from this insider information.
Since then, the case has continued to hang over both the player and the club, with developments breaking that further cases may be brought to the authorities’ attention when the case is deliberated in March 2025.
At one point, Paquetá handed over his phone to the FA so that they could assess his messages, banking history, and other aspects to assist in the
investigation of the case.
Can Paquetá Play for West Ham and Brazil?
As the hearing isn’t going to be held until March 2025, and he is innocent until proven guilty, Lucas Paquetá is allowed to play football in the interim.
That means he can continue to help West Ham in the Premier League and represent Brazil, while ironically, you can still use this list of offshore sportsbooks to place bets on games involving him.
Yet, the ongoing case may be hindering his on-field performances. The Brazilian has struggled in West Ham games this season, seldom playing for 90 minutes.
The same has to be said about his time with the national team. He started the World Cup Qualifier against Chile in Ñuñoa; however, in the first half, he was notably poor, leading to his substation at halftime.
As a result, the national head coach, Dorival Júnior, decided to bench him for the second game of the international window against Peru.
What Should Paquetá Do?
The situation is taking its toll on Paquetá. He can’t play at the same level as he was showing before these allegations came out. He vehemently denies all wrongdoing.
He has gone on social media and said that these reports and articles about this issue are misleading and inaccurate.
Whatever his stance, he needs to assess whether he can fight the case and continue to play football simultaneously. If his performances continue to be subpar, he will be dropped by both West Ham and Brazil.
One way to soothe the issue would be to ask him to play with the West Ham Reserves or U21s football for a while. This would allow him to find some form and confidence away from the Premier League’s media circus. He could then return and hopefully make a difference for the first team.
Another idea is to push for the case to be seen earlier. The sooner his name is cleared, the sooner he can put it behind him. Whether the FA will want to do this is another question, as they may use this time to assess the case in great detail.
Paquetá might want to consider leaving English football after this debacle. If he could get a January transfer, sure, he’d still be tried by the FA, but they can’t dish out punishments for other leagues.
If he moved to La Liga, Serie A or the Bundesliga, he could continue playing even if the FA found him guilty. Of course, if the FA got FIFA involved, they could look to ban him globally.
What Could Happen to Paquetá
If the player is found guilty of these charges, he could face a relatively large ban from football. Ivan Toney and Kieran Trippier were subject to bans when they bet on their games or shared insider knowledge.
Some reports suggest that Paquetá could receive a six-month ban, a 10-year ban or even a lifetime suspension from football. Of course, the judgment can be anywhere between these values.
A half-year ban seems little more than a trivial slap on the wrist, as the player would miss very little football, while 10 years out of the game would see him spend his prime years in exile.
