FA won't appeal Lucas Paqueta's spot-fixing charges dismissal: Details here
What's the story
The Football Association (FA) has confirmed it will not appeal an independent commission's decision to clear West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta of four spot-fixing charges. The allegations suggested that Paqueta had intentionally tried to get booked in four Premier League matches between November 2022 and August 2023. However, the commission found these charges unproven. The FA said 253 individual bettors placed bets on Paqueta being yellow-carded over the four matches, with 27 possibly linked to him.
Defense strategy
Paqueta had a real relationship with 5 bettors: Defense
As per Sky Sports News, Paqueta defended himself by saying he had a real relationship with only five of the bettors, whom he didn't regularly talk to about football. The FA admitted that these 253 bettors placed bets worth £47,000 and made a profit of £167,000. However, the commission determined that an analysis of this betting data was not "illustrative of a spot-fix."
Testimony impact
Moyes, Clattenburg testify in Paqueta's defense
Former West Ham manager David Moyes and ex-Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg testified in Paqueta's defense. Moyes said he had closely reviewed the yellow card incidents and found them "entirely within the normal range of actions for this player." Clattenburg disagreed with findings presented by Stats Perform Integrity Services (SPIS) in support of FA's case, saying two of the four yellow cards shouldn't have been shown.
Integrity assurance
FA failed to find betting links on player's phone
The commission found "nothing in Paqueta's on-field conduct" that supported the FA's case of him deliberately seeking bookings. It also noted the FA's failure to find any data from the player's phones mentioning betting or linking to one of the four games was a major point in favor of Paqueta's defense. The FA reiterated its commitment to maintaining football integrity by conducting thorough investigations into serious allegations of rule breaches.
Legal perspective
Case no longer hanging over Paqueta, says lawyer Campbell
Alastair Campbell, a partner at Level law firm and head of Paqueta's legal team, said the evidence showed that his client had no interest in gambling. He stressed that the case was no longer hanging over Paqueta and he could now focus fully on faith, family, and football. Campbell also noted they were still making submissions regarding the non-cooperation charge but emphasized Lucas was unquestionably the successful party in this case.