Lucas Paquetá hearing on spot-fixing to be held in the summer leaving his fate and future in a state of limbo.
Lucas Paquetá hearing regarding his involvement in spot-fixing has been adjourned till the summer.
Due to its intricacy, the independent panel that presided over the hearing did not wrap up its procedures in the first three weeks. This had ended last Friday. They’ve adjourned the case.
It is believed that the hearing will not begin until June due to the lawyers’ other obligations. This is placing Paquetá in a precarious situation. The Brazilian has made himself accessible for West Ham and participated in all of their Premier League games against Wolves and Bournemouth last week. However, he withdrew from World Cup qualifiers against Argentina and Colombia last month in order to attend the hearing.
West Ham and Paqueta unite
West Ham supports Paquetá and is dissatisfied with the FA’s handling of the most prominent corruption issue in English football. This since Bruce Grobbelaar was found not guilty in a criminal trial 27 years ago of plotting to manipulate five Premier League games. To avoid interfering with their season, the club had requested that the FA postpone Paquetá’s hearing until the summer.
Paquetá has been given the worst of all worlds, according to West Ham sources. The hearing that started on 17 March doesn’t end until the summer. If Paquetá is found guilty and a separate hearing is needed to decide the punishment, there may be an additional delay.
The lawsuit might cast a shadow over West Ham’s next summer transfer window. In August 2023, Manchester City agreed to pay £80 million for Paquetá. However they withdrew their offer after it became known that the FA was looking into questionable betting practices related to four bookings he had received in the previous nine months.
Following claims that he was purposefully booked in Premier League games to generate money for friends and relatives in Brazil. Paquetá was charged in May 2024 with four charges of spot-fixing and two counts of hindering an FA investigation. He vehemently denied any misconduct.
“I am extremely surprised and upset that the FA has decided to charge me,” he said. “For nine months I have cooperated with every step of their investigation and provided all the information I can. I deny the charges in their entirety and will fight with every breath to clear my name”