Lucas Paquetá has got some serious explaining to do.
On Thursday, the FA charged the West Ham midfielder with spot-fixing offenses in four Premier League matches.
As the the FA stated: “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.”
Among gambling offenses, this is as bad as it gets. The Brazil international is alleged to have manipulated matches he played in by intentionally getting carded. That kind of offense strikes at the core integrity of the game, which governing bodies tend to look at in highly unfavorable terms. See: Porter, Jontay.
Each of the four charges carries a potential sentence of anywhere between six months and a lifetime ban.
For his part, Paquetá denied the charges in a statement released via his social media.
The FA named four incidents in which Paquetá is accused of intentionally getting booked: against Leicester City on November 12, 2022; Aston Villa on March 12, 2023; Leeds United on May 21, 2023; and Bournemouth on August 12, 2023.
Reviewing the footage on just one of those incidents, against Aston Villa, reveals that Paquetá may be facing a real uphill battle in his defense.
To put it simply: Paquetá looks desperate to be carded.
First, he charges into Douglas Luiz well after the Villa midfielder plays the ball away. Paquetá is whistled for a foul, but no yellow. Clearly not satisfied, Paquetá quickly hunts down John McGinn and brings him down with a tackle no referee could ever avoid booking.
Yeah, this doesn’t look great.
Paqueta you silly sausage. He was desperate for it. 🤣 https://t.co/ywa5sc2b14 pic.twitter.com/yR221aoUoH— Jay (@JayVtid) May 23, 2024
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