West Ham star Lucas Paqueta set for hearing over alleged spot fixing
West Ham star Lucas Paqueta was charged by the FA in May over allegations of spot fixing and reports suggest the hearing into the case will start in March next year
by Tom Victor · The MirrorWest Ham star Lucas Paqueta's hearing into his spot fixing allegations will take place in March, it has been reported.
Brazil international midfielder Paqueta was charged by the FA in May and is alleged to have intentionally received a yellow card in four Premier League matches. The 27-year-old denies the charges.
An investigation into the former Lyon star was opened in the summer of 2023, at which point he had been on West Ham's books for a full season. The alleged offences relate to Premier League matches between November 2022 and August 2023.
West Ham issued a statement in May indicating they would stand by Paqueta throughout the process. The Hammers star has continued to feature for the first team, and scored in Saturday's victory over Ipswich Town.
According to The Sun, West Ham are 'expecting' Paqueta's hearing to take place before the end of the season, to the frustration of some at the club. If found guilty, punishment could be as high as a life ban from football.
Hammers manager Julen Lopetegui has been reluctant to put too much on-field pressure on the player, recognising the toll the charges have taken. “He’s trying to work very hard, trying to understand what we want from him," the former Spain boss said. "We’re trying to help him to be better and better. He’s an important player.
"He’s managed this in a good way," Lopetegui added. "We try to help him but we don’t talk about this. We talk about football, the next match, about life but not about this.”
Paqueta has been charged with two counts of failing to comply with the investigation, in addition to the four bookings in question. The bookings under investigation were picked up in matches against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth
The investigation came after irregular betting patterns were identified. A number of bets in question were traced to Paqueta Island in Brazil, where the West Ham midfielder grew up and from where his nickname originates (his full name is Lucas Tolentino Coelho de Lima).
Paqueta, who was part of Brazil's squad at the 2022 World Cup and 2024 Copa America, scored eight goals in 41 appearances in all competitions last season. His effort against Ipswich on Saturday brought him to two for the current campaign, after a penalty against Aston Villa on the opening weekend.
The 4-1 win against Ipswich was West Ham's first home league victory of the campaign, lifting them up to 12th in the table, though Manchester United can climb back above them with a win at Aston Villa on Sunday. Michail Antonio opened the scoring in the first minute, with Liam Delap equalising before goals from Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Paqueta sealed a home win.
"It’s always important [to win]," Lopetegui told Sky Sports after the win. "It was an important day for us but we deserved to win against a good team like Ipswich. We started very well but suffered a goal in an action I think we can avoid but after the mentality was strong."
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