pwshub.com

West Ham star 'to face hearing into alleged spot-fixing in March'

West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta will face a hearing into alleged spot-fixing in March, according to a report. 

Mail Sport revealed in May that Paqueta was charged by the Football Association, with the Brazilian accused of being deliberately booked in an attempt to influence betting markets.

The FA are alleging that Paqueta was deliberately booked in top-flight matches against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth so that either he and/or his friends could profit from bets placed on him being carded.

Paqueta has denied all the charges against him and has previously said that he 'will fight with every breath to clear my name'.

According to The Sun, the 27-year-old will face a hearing over the charges next year. If found guilty, he could face a lifetime ban from the sport. 

Lucas Paqueta will reportedly face a hearing into alleged spot-fixing in March following his charge by the Football Association

Last month, Brazilian media reported that relatives of the Hammers' star were probed over bank payments allegedly made to another Brazilian player. According to Brazilian news website UOL, two of Paqueta's relatives allegedly made two payments to another player, Luiz Henrique, in early 2023.

It is claimed the payments, totalling over £5,000, were made shortly after the Brazilian forward had been booked in two matches playing to Spanish side Real Betis.

Henrique had been booked in Real Betis' 1-0 win over Getafe on January 28 in 2023, as well as in their 4-3 defeat against Celta Vigo on February 4. The forward had played the final 11 minutes of the match.

UOL reported Henrique had allegedly received 10,000 Brazilian reals (£1,370) from one relative's bank account on January 30, before receiving 30,000 reals (R$30,000) another relative's account on February 6.

Bruno Tolentino was reported to have admitted the payments an interview with the website, but said they were made to pay off a loan and unconnected to betting.

Mail Sport exclusively broke the story of Paqueta's betting probe back in August 2023, which led to the collapse of his prospective £85million move to Premier League champions Manchester City.

Charges brought by the FA earlier this year have coincided with the midfielder's slump in form. The Hammers star endured a poor end to last campaign and has scored only two goal so far this season. 

West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui has insisted that the player is handling his looming legal troubles well but revealed that he has not discussed the issue with the former Lyon star. 

'I'm happy with his behaviour and his commitment,' Lopetegui said last month. 'He's working very hard, he's trying to understand what we want. We're trying to help him to be better and better. He's an important player.' 

He added: 'We don't talk about [the charges]. We talk about football, about the next match and about life. But not about this.'

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Related stories
1 month ago - Former West Ham captain Declan Rice has made a generous donation to one of the club's academy stars who is battling a rare form of brain cancer.
1 week ago - Relatives of Lucas Paqueta are reportedly being probed over bank payments made to another Brazilian player, as the West Ham star faces charges of spot-fixing.
2 weeks ago - The 29-year-old featured in 42 matches for Bayern across all competitions last season, but he has received less than 10 minutes of game time during the first four fixtures of the current campaign.
3 weeks ago - The Premier League returns with a blockbuster weekend to savour after the first international break of the campaign, with Sunday's North London Derby the pick of the matches in Gameweek 4.
2 weeks ago - Manchester City won an unprecedented fourth Premier League title on the trot, edging Arsenal out by two points, despite failing to beat the Gunners home and away
Other stories
2 minutes ago - Pakistan cricket team is having the worst nightmare of its life. The 1992 World Cup champions are constantly facing severe criticism from both fans and former cricketers, for their back-to-back poor performances.
2 minutes ago - Rohit Sharma was removed as captain by MI last season, and former India batter Mohammed Kaif urged RCB to sign the India skipper.
44 minutes ago - SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON: The beginning of the end for me as England team manager was when my agent received an inquiry. We were there for two days.
44 minutes ago - GARY KEOWN: It's been another underwhelming, unconvincing week for Rangers manager Philippe Clement. Another week of bad calls, perplexing comments and plain old excuses.
1 hour ago - Several Premier League clubs have reportedly been alerted of Henderson's potential availability, but leading Championship sides are also considering a loan deal.