THE FA want Lucas Paqueta banned from football for LIFE.
West Ham’s Brazil midfielder was charged with four counts of spot-fixing last month after being accused of deliberately getting booked in Premier League matches.
Paqueta insists he is innocent — but SunSport has learned the FA charge sheet includes a recommendation that he be banned for life if found guilty.
Stratford Town defender Kynan Isaac was given a ten-year suspension for betting on himself to be booked in an FA Cup tie in 2021.
While Lincoln City defender Bradley Wood copped a six-year exile for deliberately getting a yellow card on two occasions in another FA Cup betting scam three years earlier.
However, FA prosecutors argue 26-year-old Paqueta’s alleged offences are even more serious.
SunSport can reveal the full extraordinary details of the alleged betting scam for the first time – with one of bets placed on the Brazilian to be given a yellow card worth as little as £7.
Paqueta is accused of deliberately getting booked in four Prem games — against Leicester in 2022, plus Aston Villa, Leeds United and Bournemouth, all in 2023 — to make money for friends.
It is understood around SIXTY people placed bets on Paqueta to be booked in one or all of those matches, with the stakes ranging from just £7 to £400, leading to combined winnings of £100,000.
And in an ironic twist, the first gaming company to sound the alarm over suspicious betting patterns was Betway — the Hammers’ main shirt sponsor.
The series of small bets were placed on Paqueta Island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, sparking an investigation which resulted in the FA’s charges of spot-fixing.
Their probe has already KO’d his £80million move to Manchester City but Paqueta’s lawyers will argue evidence against him is purely circumstantial.
The FA’s investigation began last summer after they received an integrity alert from gambling companies due to the unusual number of bets placed on him to be booked traced to the island where he was born.
SunSport also revealed yesterday Paqueta asked not to play in the fateful game that triggered the FA’s spot-fixing investigation — West Ham’s opening game of this season at the Cherries — as he was on the verge of his move to City.
Paqueta’s lawyers were yesterday granted more time to formally respond to the charges. The case is not expected to proceed to a hearing for several months.
Over six months elapsed between the FA charging Ivan Toney with betting offences before he was found guilty last summer.
Lucas Paqueta's four charges relate to the following games:
And given that Paqueta’s career is at stake, this case is likely to take even longer.
There are also issues of jurisdiction to resolve, with the FA still in the process of collecting betting data from Brazil.
Paqueta has been left devastated by the charges, with West Ham having serious concerns over his mental wellbeing.
He has returned to Brazil and hopes to play in the Copa America this summer.
The FA, Paqueta’s legal representatives and West Ham were all approached for comment.
