Lucas Paqueta allegedly claimed a yellow card at the centre of the betting probe that could land him a lifetime ban was a birthday present for his brother. That is according to a Brazilian government inquiry that is recommending criminal charges for the West Ham star's uncle Bruno Tolentino and two other businessmen for their roles in a betting ring. Paqueta, whose Football Association hearing is set to take place next month, gave evidence to the Brazilian Senate Commission and will face no further action in his homeland despite being “suspected of game manipulation” by investigators, according to a 692-page commission report. The 27-year-old insists he is innocent after being accused of deliberately getting booked in four Premier League games – against Leicester in 2022, plus Aston Villa, Leeds United and Bournemouth in 2023.
But according to evidence submitted to the Brazil inquiry, "Paqueta announced (to an intermediary named Marlon Bruno Nascimento Silva) that he would give 'a birthday present' to his brother, Matheus Paqueta, that is a yellow card in the match on March 12.". Paqueta was cautioned midway through the second half of a game against Aston Villa on that date, which the inquiry also confirmed is the birthday of Matheus Paqueta.
The midfielder has denied any involvement since the allegations were first revealed last year. The claims made in the government report are yet to be tried in court. Tolentino, who could face up to six years behind bars if found guilty of criminal charges in Brazil, is also accused of paying winger Luiz Henrique to be booked in two La Liga games while he was at Real Betis. The inquiry stated that Marlon was responsible for recruiting players to a spot-fixing network and Tolentino had made five different payments to him totalling R$97,000 (£13,500).
An estimated 60 people placed bets on Paqueta to be yellow carded in the four games under investigation by the FA, prompting then West Ham sponsors Betway to raise an alarm. Neither West Ham nor the FA are commenting ahead of next month's hearing. If Paqueta is found guilty of spot-fixing the FA are set to push for a lifetime ban. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
