West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been charged by the FA with alleged breaches of betting rules.
The FA have been investigating suspicious betting activity surrounding bookings that the Brazilian midfielder received last year for almost nine months.
Paqueta has been charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of FA Rules E5 and F3. A statement by the FA on Thursday said: “The player has been charged with four breaches of FA Rule E5.1 in relation to his conduct in the club’s Premier League fixtures against Leicester City on November 12 2022; Aston Villa on March 12 2023; Leeds United on May 21 2023; and AFC Bournemouth on August 12 2023.
“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.
“Lucas Paqueta has also been charged with two breaches of FA Rule F3 in respect of alleged failures to comply pursuant to FA Rule F2. The player has until June 3 2024 to provide a response to these charges subject to any request for an extension to this deadline. The FA will be making no further comment until the conclusion of this case.”
Paqueta, who saw an £80million move to Manchester City scuppered last summer amid the FA’s investigation, said: “I’m extremely surprised and upset to see that the FA have decided to charge me. For nine months, I’ve 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”. Due to the ongoing process, I will not provide any further comment”.
More to follow.
This is a breaking sports story and is being constantly updated with the latest news, pictures and videos. Please refresh the page regularly.
You can also get email updates on the day’s biggest sports stories straight to your inbox by signing up for our sports newsletter.
Get all the very best sports news, pictures, opinion and video by following Daily Star every time you see our name.
Follow Daily Star on Google News – CLICK HERE and click the star
Follow Daily Star on Apple News – CLICK HERE available on Apple devices
Follow Daily Star on Flipboard – CLICK HERE and click follow
You can also sign up for Twitter alerts for breaking news by following @DailyStar_Sport and follow us @dailystar for all the latest updates.
Keep up-to-date with your must-see sports stories, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us on Facebook.