West Ham United Lucas Paqueta has been in the news this season, but mostly for the wrong reasons.
Lucas Paqueta joined West Ham from Lyon in the summer of 2022.
At times, Paqueta has been sensational for the Hammers, but the truth of the matter is that he’s been poor in equal measure.
Things took a turn for the worse in the summer of 2023 when it emerged that Paqueta was being investigated for alleged breaches of betting rules.
And there are said to be fears internally at the London Stadium that Paqueta could be banned for life if found guilty of the charges levelled against him.
It has since emerged that the Hammers owners were prepared to let Paqueta leave the London Stadium.
However, he’s still very much a West Ham player.
Will we see him in a Hammers shirt next season though?
New Lucas Paqueta twist means West Ham star could earn £62m
Stunning new evidence in Paqueta’s case emerged on Tuesday.
Bruno Lopez de Moura – the alleged mastermind behind the betting scam – has given evidence as part of his testimony at the CPI das Apostas.
He claims that the yellow card received by Paqueta in the game between West Ham and Villa, on March 12 2023, would be a “birthday present” for the athlete’s brother – who was born on March 12.
That all sounds rather damning right?
All might not be as it seems on the surface though.
The tide could be turning for the former Lyon man it seems, albeit with a surprise twist.
According to one of David Sullivan’s most trusted confidants – Sean Whetstone – the evidence against Paqueta is purely circumstantial.
However, there is still a chance that the Hammers star could be found guilty.
In a really interesting twist though, the West Ham star could claim as much as £62 million if he is wrongly banned from football for the remainder of his career.
It is suggested that those close to the Brazilian suggest that there is ‘no hard evidence to link him directly to any wrongdoing and instead the case will rely on betting patterns, links to people known to Paqueta, location of bets place and the probability that he must be involved’.
“The FA could face multi-million-pound lawsuit if they do not allow Paqueta to continue to play when his case is being appealed through the courts.“
“At a reported wage £7.8m per year at West Ham he could claim as much £62m if wrongly banned from football from the remainder of his career at the topflight.“
A very interesting update indeed.
The fact that it has taken this long to even go to trial means the evidence must be flimsy at best.
In an ideal world, Lucas Paqueta will be found innocent of the charges levelled against him, and he can go back to playing for West Ham with a clear mind, and conscience.
Hopefully we get a definitive answer on the outcome of his trial soon, one way or the other.
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