Paqueta warned for failure to co-operate with spot-fixing investigation

Brazil international Lucas Paqueta has been reprimanded and warned about his future conduct despite being cleared of spot-fixing allegations this year.

An independent commission imposed sanctions after the Premier League player was found to have failed to co-operate with an English Football Association investigation into the original charges.

West Ham forward Paqueta, acting on legal advice, responded "No comment" to numerous questions when interviewed.

Potential penalties included a fine and suspension but the commission opted for the lowest punishment after considering mitigating factors. Among them it noted the FA was "apparently not interested in what the player had to say at the second interview."

It also considered the toll the charges had had on Paqueta, including the impact on his mental health, the likely collapse of a transfer to Manchester City and his legal fees.

Paqueta was ultimately cleared of spot-fixing in July when a commission found charges by the FA to be unproven after the governing body claimed he had deliberately received yellow cards in four separate matches between 2022 and 2023 to affect betting markets.

A 314-page document published last month told how conversations held in a Rio salon owned by Paqueta's mother may have led to a flurry of bets.

The FA claimed 542 bets had been placed by 253 different bettors, alleging at least 27 could be connected to Paqueta from his homeland. It said bets amounting to 46,759 pounds ($62,920) had been placed, resulting in winnings of 213,704 pounds ($287,585) and a profit of 166,945 pounds ($224,660).

In its written reasons, the commission said betting data was not "illustrative of a spot-fix" and "in many respects inconsistent with a spot-fix, but consistent with alternative explanations."

The commission said, rather than a spot-fixing operation, a more likely explanation for the betting patterns was the "random passing of 'hot tips' or perceived 'inside information' within Brazil."

"It simply makes no sense for a well-paid individual, who has amply demonstrated his generosity and who appears to have no interest in betting, to 'give his family members or friends' an advantage over bookmakers for comparatively modest sums," it wrote.

The commission determined the FA would pay 90% of the costs of the commission and Paqueta 10%, given the spot-fixing charges accounted for the "overwhelming majority" of the costs.

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