FA clears West Hams Lucas Paqueta of spot-fixing charges after two-year probe

New Delhi: West Ham's midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been cleared of spot-fixing charges by the Football Association, finally bringing end to a two-year investigation that threatened to derail his career. FA accused the Brazilian of deliberately picking up yellow cards in four Premier League matches, but an independent regulatory commission found the charges "not proven” after a full hearing.

If he would have been found guilty then he could have faced a lifetime ban from football. But after a lengthy investigation and hearing the commission has ruled that the charges were "not proven'. The decision ends months of speculation and brings relief to both the player and West Ham United.

The investigation centered around four matches- against Leicester City in November 2022, Aston Villa in March 2023, Leeds United in May 2023 and Bournemouth in August in 2023. In each of those fixtures, Paqueta was booked for incidents for incidents ranging from a lunge to a handball.

The FA delivered the nature and timing of these bookings were suspicious but the commission found no solid evidence to support claims that they were intentional or linked to betting patterns.

Paqueta has always maintained his innocence and said in a statement that he was grateful to God, his family, his teammates, and West Ham fans for standing by him. "I’ve been living this nightmare for two years," he said, referencing the emotional toll it has taken on him and his wife Maria.

His lawyer, Alastair Campbell, said the midfielder was "very emotional and very delighted” with the outcome. Campbell also hinted that there could be legal consequences surrounding the failed £85 million move to Manchester City which collapsed once the FA charges became public.

West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady said that the club was pleased with the outcome and proud of how Paqueta conducted himself during a difficult period. She said, "He remained professional throughout and is now looking forward to moving on.”

FA has said that they will wait for the commission's full written explanation before making further comment.

While he was cleared of fixing allegations, Paqueta wasn't completely off the hook. The commission upheld two charges related to failing to fully cooperate with the investigation. He was found to have breached FA rules by not providing requested information and documents in a timely manner.

A separate decision will now be made regarding the sanction for this breach but it will be far less severe than the ban he originally risked.

While the charges behind him, Paqueta can now focus fully on football. He scored four goals in 33 league games last season and was a regular for the Hammers. Whether Manchester City or any other top club comes for him remains to be seen but for now he is cleared to continue his career just with one blemish left to be addressed.