Manchester, England — Brazilian football star Lucas Paqueta has been formally reprimanded and cautioned about his future conduct, despite being exonerated from spot-fixing allegations earlier this year. An independent commission imposed sanctions after the West Ham United forward was found to have failed to cooperate fully with an English Football Association (FA) investigation into the initial charges. Paqueta, acting on legal counsel, responded with “no comment” to numerous questions during his interview, leading to potential penalties that could have included fines and suspension. However, the commission opted for the least severe punishment, citing mitigating factors such as the FA’s apparent disinterest in his statements during a second interview, the mental health toll on Paqueta, the collapse of a potential transfer to Manchester City, and his substantial legal fees. The FA had accused Paqueta of deliberately receiving yellow cards in four matches between 2022 and 2023 to manipulate betting markets, but the charges were deemed unproven in July. The commission also dismissed the FA’s claims linking Paqueta to a series of bets placed in Brazil, suggesting the betting patterns were more likely the result of random “hot tips” rather than a coordinated spot-fixing operation. The FA was ordered to cover 90% of the commission’s costs, with Paqueta responsible for the remaining 10%.
Paqueta reprimanded and warned about future conduct despite being cleared of spot-fixing charges
