West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been charged by the Football Association for alleged breaches of betting rules.
The 26-year-old was interviewed by the FA last September and gave the governing body access to his phone the following month.
The FA investigation was triggered by suspicious betting patterns surrounding a stoppage-time yellow card received by the Brazil international in West Ham’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on the opening day of the season last August.
An FA statement released on Thursday read: “West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta has been charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of FA Rules E5 and F3.
“The player has been charged with four breaches of FA Rule E5.1 in relation to his conduct in the club’s Premier League fixtures against Leicester City on November 12 2022; Aston Villa on March 12 2023; Leeds United on May 21 2023; and AFC Bournemouth on August 12 2023.
“It’s alleged that he 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.
“Lucas Paqueta has also been charged with two breaches of FA Rule F3 in respect of alleged failures to comply pursuant to FA Rule F2.
“The player has until June 3 2024 to provide a response to these charges subject to any request for an extension to this deadline.
“The FA will be making no further comment until the conclusion of this case.”
More to follow….
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