West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta is at risk of a 10-year ban when he was charged by the English Football Association (FA) with violating betting rules.

The FA opened an investigation into Paqueta last August. The Brazil international was charged with four alleged breaches of FA rule E5.1 relating to conduct directly related to him, during West Ham’s Premier League matches. Those are the matches that West Ham plays against Leicester (November 12, 2022), Aston Villa (March 12, 2023), Leeds (May 21, 2023) and Bournemouth (August 12, 2023). ).

The FA said: “Paqueta sought to influence the proceedings, conduct or any other aspect of the proceedings in these matches by deliberately receiving a yellow card from the referee, with the improper intention of influencing the betting market so that one or more persons profit from betting”.

Paqueta has also been charged with two breaches of FA rule F3 as well as being involved in non-compliance with Rule F2. FA Rule F2 allows the agency to require any player involved to answer questions and provide documents and information upon reasonable notice. If a player fails to comply with these requirements, it may be considered a breach of FA rule F3, constituting misconduct.

Paqueta will have until June 3 to respond to the charges. Sharing on social networks, the 26-year-old midfielder said: “I was extremely surprised and sad when the FA decided to charge me. For nine months, I cooperated in every step of their investigation and provided all the information I could. I deny all allegations and will fight with every breath to clear my name. Due to the ongoing process, I will not be making any further comments.”

According to Daily Mail, if convicted, Paquete could face a 10-year ban, similar to what happened to former defender Kynan Isaac – who was suspended for a decade after intentionally received the card when playing for Stratford Town Club in the match against Shrewsbury in the FA Cup 3 years ago. Meanwhile, West Ham fear Paqueta’s career could be over if he is subjected to such a punishment, and are considering their legal options going forward, according to The Guardian.

Paqueta joined West Ham in the summer of 2022 from Lyon, quickly becoming a key star of the club. This season, the Brazilian midfielder has scored 8 goals and assisted 7 times in 43 appearances in all competitions. Last summer, Man City pursued Paqueta but eventually withdrew because West Ham charged too much