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Lucas Paquetá is finally in the clear—at least when it comes to the most serious part of the Football Association’s case against him. After months of speculation and stress, the FA’s independent regulatory commission confirmed it could not prove the Brazilian midfielder fixed matches or deliberately picked up yellow cards to influence betting markets.
The outcome doesn’t come as a shock to many. A few weeks ago, it already seemed likely the match-fixing charge would fall apart, based on how the case had been dragging and reports suggesting the FA was struggling to pin down clear evidence.
Good to know
Back in May 2024, Paquetá was accused of four breaches of FA Rule E5.1. The allegation was that he intentionally earned yellow cards in four separate Premier League matches between late 2022 and mid-2023—cards that, according to the FA, were suspiciously timed and possibly linked to betting patterns. Consequently, a transfer to Manchester City was off the hook.
Rule E5.1 is pretty clear: players cannot try to influence any part of a match—directly or indirectly—for an improper purpose.
But Paquetá, who’s been capped 55 times for Brazil and remains a key player for both his national team and West Ham, strongly denied the accusations from the start. He never wavered in insisting he did nothing wrong.
Now, the FA has conceded that it couldn’t prove its case.
While the commission dropped the match-fixing element, Paquetá wasn’t entirely off the hook. He was found guilty of two violations of FA Rule F3, which relates to failing to fully cooperate with the investigation. The FA says it will announce the appropriate punishment for that part of the case “at the earliest opportunity.”
In a short Instagram message, Paquetá expressed his gratitude:
“I can’t say anything more now, but I also can’t express how grateful I am to God and how eager I am to return to playing football with a smile on my face.”
He thanked his legal team, West Ham, and his family for standing by him through the drawn-out process.
The club didn’t hold back. Vice-chair Karen Brady spoke out about the toll the investigation took—not just on Paquetá, but on the entire team.
“Despite the incredible pressure on him, Lucas has performed week in and week out for the club, always giving everything,” she said.
“It has been a difficult time for Lucas and his family, but he has remained absolutely professional throughout and he is now looking forward to drawing a line under this episode, as is everyone at West Ham United.”
And in a fitting bit of timing, Paquetá celebrated the announcement by scoring in West Ham’s 2-1 pre-season win over Everton—hours before the FA’s update went public.