Lucas Paquetá faces life suspension – What happened?
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20 Mar 2025 •
Reading time: 2 minutes The football world has been rocked by yet another match-fixing scandal, this time involving Lucas Paquetá, a Brazilian midfielder who plays for West Ham United. He appears to have deliberately induced yellow cards in order to influence sports betting markets, and the player is facing a lifetime suspension from the English Football Association (FA).
The origins of the case
Between November 2022 and August 2023, around 60 unusual bets were recorded at four Premier League matches involving Paquetá. These bets specifically targeted the possibility of Paquetá receiving a yellow card.
Ironically, these bets were placed via Betway, West Ham’s shirt sponsor. Alerted to this suspicious activity, the company informed the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), particularly because of the large number of new accounts involved. An in-depth investigation revealed that several of these accounts were linked to members of Paquetá’s family, including his uncle.
The charges against Paquetá
The FA alleges that Paquetá intentionally sought to obtain yellow cards in certain matches in order to allow his relatives to benefit financially from bets placed. These actions are considered to be an attempt to influence the course of matches, which constitutes a serious breach of the rules of professional football.
Paquetá’s defence
In the face of these accusations, Paquetá has maintained his innocence from the outset. In a statement published on his social networks in October 2024, he said he was frustrated and upset by the dissemination of false information, the sole aim of which was to damage his reputation. He also expressed his willingness to cooperate fully with the authorities to shed light on the situation.
What does Paquetà face?
Paquetá’s trial began this week and is expected to last around three weeks. The FA is determined to apply an exemplary sanction if the player’s guilt is proven, in order to deter any future attempts at manipulation in the sport.
The parties involved have the opportunity to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland after receiving the decision. If an appeal is lodged, this will prolong the verdict for a year. This will leave Paquetá in limbo during that time.If the charges are upheld, Paquetá could be banned for life from all football-related activities. This would mark the end of his career.