West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta cleared of all alleged betting breaches

The FA revealed their decision today.

The 27-year-old was charged for allegedly getting booked deliberately as recently as May last year, while the FA's more serious charges relate to four Premier League matches — between November 2022 and August 2023— where it was alleged that Paqueta had acted "for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market."

None of those charges have been proven by the FA. 

Despite not finding Paqueta guilty of breaking betting rules, the FA have charged the midfielder — who always denied any wrongdoing — with failing to fully co-operate with the investigation. 

The body are yet to make a decision on what potential punishment Paqueta could face for that failure to comply.

The FA’s statement reads: “An independent Regulatory Commission has found the misconduct charges against West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta for alleged breaches of FA Rule E5 to be not proven.

“Lucas Paqueta was charged with four alleged breaches of FA Rule E5.1 in relation to his conduct during the club’s Premier League fixtures against Leicester City on 12 November 2022; Aston Villa on 12 March 2023; Leeds United on 21 May 2023; and AFC Bournemouth on 12 August 2023.

“It was alleged that Lucas Paqueta 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 denied the charges against him, and the Regulatory Commission found them to be not proven following a hearing.

“The Regulatory Commission has found the misconduct charges against the player for alleged breaches of FA Rule F3 to be proven.

“Lucas Paqueta was charged with two breaches of FA Rule F3 in relation to alleged failures to comply with his obligations to answer questions and provide information to The FA's investigation.

“Lucas Paqueta denied the charges against him, but the Regulatory Commission found them to be proven following the hearing. The Regulatory Commission will decide an appropriate sanction for these breaches at the earliest opportunity. 

“The FA awaits the Regulatory Commission’s written reasons in relation to its decisions on the charges, and will not be commenting further until that time.”

Lucas Paqueta has already responded to the FA's decision.

The player said: “Since the first day of this investigation, I have maintained my innocence against these extremely serious accusations. I can’t say anything more at this time, but I would like to express how grateful I am to God and how eager I am to return to playing football with a smile on my face.

“To my wife who never let go of my hand, to West Ham United, to the fans who always cheered me on, and to my family, friends and the legal team who have supported me - thank you for everything.”