2025-09-04 11:35:36
Lucas Paquetá and West Ham United are considering suing the FA over his collapsed move to Manchester City.
The Brazilian midfielder was cleared of four charges of spot fixing last month and the publication of the full 314-page judgement shows the panel found certain aspects of the case against him “surprising” and “concerning”.
It also shows the 28-year-old sportsman’s lawyer, Nick De Marco, told the FA in September 2023 during the investigation that leaks of the probe “led to a collapse of a transfer of the player that was otherwise agreed between [West Ham], and Manchester City from which both the player and [West Ham] would have received substantial sums running into the tens of millions of pounds”.
The statement added: “Both [Paquetá] and [West Ham] reserve all of their rights in that regard.”
Insiders confirmed to The Times that both Paquetá and West Ham are considering all options when it comes to legal action.
Paquetá was accused of deliberately getting booked to allow friends and family to bet on the yellow cards, with the FA alleging “at least 253 separate bettors, of whom the FA claimed at least 26 can be linked to the player”, had placed bets on him receiving a yellow card in four Premier League matches, with a profit of £167,000 generated from a total wager of around £47,000.
Two lesser charges against Paquetá – of failing to answer questions and provide information to the FA’s investigation – were found proven but the judgement stated the sanction would be at “the lower end of the scale”.
The FA have no plans to appeal the panel’s decision.
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