by Lucas Paqueta was freed from misconduct complaints in connection with alleged violations of the fraudulent rules of the football association, as his Club West Ham announced.
The Brazilian was charged in May 2024 by four alleged violations of the FA rule E5.1 by the FA in relation to games with West Ham.
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It was suspected that Paqueta wanted to influence the matches directly by deliberately giving a card from the referee to influence the competition in order to influence the betting market so that one or more people benefit from bets.
He denied the indictment and an independent regulatory commission found that the indictment was not proven after a hearing. The FA said that two charges against Paqueta in connection with a failure to work with his investigation had been proven.
The FA said a commission would choose a reasonable sanction for the proven violations.
The games that Paqueta was supposed to influence were the Hammers’ Premier League games against Leicester on November 12, 2022, March 12, 2023 on May 21, 2023 and Bournemouth on August 12, 2023.
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Paqueta said in quotations that were published through the club: “Since the first day of this investigation, I have kept my innocence against these extremely serious allegations.
“I can’t say anything anymore at that time, but I want to express how grateful I am God and how eager I am to play football with a smile on my face.
“To my wife, who never let go of my hand from West Ham United, to the fans who always stimulated me, and my family, friends and the legal team who supported me – thank you for everything.”
The deputy chairman of West Ham, Karren Brady, added: “We are pleased that Lucas was clarified.
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“He kept his innocence right from the start and as a club we stood it and supported him throughout the process.
It was claimed that Paqueta had tried directly to influence matches by deliberately giving a card from the referee to affect the competition (John Walton/PA) (John Walton/PA).
“Despite the incredible pressure on him, Lucas played for the club every week and always gave everything.
“It was a difficult time for Lucas and his family, but he has remained absolutely professionally and is now looking forward to drawing a line in this episode, as well as everyone at West Ham United.”
Alastair Campbell, a partner at the level of the law firm and the head of the Jural team of Paqueta, said: “Only a few cases carry the severity of this – professionally, personally and emotionally for our client.
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“Lucas has exposed immense pressure with remarkable strength and resilience.
“Level is pleased that we were able to help Lucas’ integrity as a player and one person have no doubt.
“Now he can finally concentrate on the things that are most important to him – to play football and to be with his family.”
The FA said it was waiting for the written reasons of the independent commission in relation to her decision on the indictment and would only comment on during this time.
