Lucas Paqueta has escaped having to give evidence to a Brazilian government’s inquiry into match-fixing, leaving the West Ham forward free to face Leicester tomorrow.
Paqueta was expected to miss Tuesday’s trip to the King Power Stadium as it clashed with a date to give evidence in Sao Paolo.
His lawyers originally negotiated for Paqueta to appear via a video link but Mail Sport understands he will now no longer appear at all.
The Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry on the Manipulation of Games and Sport in Brazil is a separate inquiry to the Football Association charge against Paqueta over four suspicious yellow cards.
The FA allege Paqueta deliberately got booked in Premier League matches against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth in 2022 and 2023 with Paqueta due to face a hearing in March which, if found guilty, could lead to a substantial ban.
Paqueta is also under investigation for individual spot-fixing in Brazil but has always protested his innocence.
Lucas Paqueta will not have to give evidence to a Brazilian government inquiry into match-fixing
He has started all 13 of West Ham’s league games this season, though has struggled to produce his best with Hammers fans calling for him to be dropped.
The Brazilian gave away a penalty in the 5-2 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday before losing the ball cheaply in midfield in the build-up to the Gunners’ third goal.
West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui confirmed Paqueta was available to play and backed him to keep his off-field distractions out of his mind.
‘He works separately to this situation and he is focused on the matches,’ said Lopetegui. ‘It’s not always easy but he tries. We try to help him.’
Lopetegui’s side head to the King Power Stadium where Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of his first game in charge of Leicester.
‘Ruud is a very good manager, he has showed this in the teams he has worked,’ said the West Ham boss, who was in charge of Real Madrid’s B team when Van Nistelrooy was at the club. ‘For sure, he is going to develop good work. I wish him the best…but after our match, of course!
‘I remember [at Madrid] that he was always a great example as a professional even though he was an enormous talent as a player. He had a high bar for the way he worked.’
It’s a crucial match for Lopetegui, too. During the international break, he faced speculation that he had two games to save his job then beat Newcastle at St James’ Park only to be thumped at home to Arsenal.
The FA have investigated suspicious betting patterns surrounding four bookings Paqueta picked up in 2022 and 2023
Now, the Hammers face a kinder run starting at Leicester before taking on Wolves, Bournemouth, Brighton and Southampton.
Lopetegui, though, urged his critics to judge him at the end of the season.
‘Some people might look forward, others might look back,’ added Lopetegui. ‘I look only at the next challenge, the next step, the next match. When you want to do your summaries, do it at the end of the season. Let’s see what happens in the future.’