Lucas Paqueta is set to be sensationally cleared of all charges relating to his 2024 FA charges, it has been claimed.
The Brazilian midfielder was hit with multiple counts of misconduct by the FA in May last year following a long-running investigation regarding betting irregularities.And according to a report by Matt Lawton and Martyn Ziegler in The Times on Friday night plus independent KUMB sources, Paqueta will be completely exonerated early next week - a decision that could leave the FA facing being sued for damages as a consequence of the vast legal fees incurred by defending the case.
Lawton and Ziegler claim the cost of providing a defence for West Ham and Paqueta has run close to £1million, with the FA having taken more than than TWO YEARS to reach a decision - at the end of which an independent regulatory commission is expected to have cleared the midfielder of all four charges he faced.
Paqueta was charged with four offences relating to his conduct while representing West Ham during Premier League fixtures and two other charges regarding a failure to comply with FA requirements.
"The player has been charged with four breaches of FA Rule E5.1 in relation to his conduct in the club’s Premier League fixtures against Leicester City on 12 November 2022, Aston Villa on 12 March 2023, Leeds United on 21 May 2023 and AFC Bournemouth on 12 August 2023," read an FA statement published at the time the charges were made.
"It’s alleged that he directly sought to influence the progress, conduct, or any other aspect of, or occurrence in these matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market in order for one or more persons to profit from betting."
And regarding the two additional charges, the statement continued: "Paqueta has also been charged with two breaches of FA Rule F3 in respect of alleged failures to comply pursuant to FA Rule F2."
Paqueta has always pleaded his innocence. "I am extremely surprised and upset that the FA has decided to charge me," he said, speaking in the wake of the FA charges. "For nine months, I have cooperated with every step of their investigation and provided all the information I can.
"I deny the charges in their entirety and will fight with every breath to clear my name. Due to the ongoing process, I will not be providing any further comment."
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