As the Lucas Paqueta betting investigation saga continues to rumble on, there has been another big update overnight.
It was last summer when West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta was first accused of potential betting breaches.
The accusations levelled against the 26-year-old – which he vehemently denies – could result in a long-term ban, and the Hammers hierarchy allegedly fear that his career could actually be finished.
It was recently suggested that he could face a multi-year ban, and that would obviously be an absolutely terrible outcome for both him and his club.
The former Lyon star opened up on the current situation he’s going through, when speaking to reporters at a press conference whilst away with the Brazil national team:
“This will be the first and only time I will speak about this matter. My lawyers have advised me not to comment on the matter.”
“What I can say is that I continue to do my best, cooperating. My lawyers defend me so that everything is clarified in the end.”
“The decision made me sad but we will do everything to change this decision and cooperate.”
One way or another, we’re about to find out the verdict to the Paqueta betting breaches investigation it seems…
What is Lucas Paqueta actually being accused of?
So, the former Lyon man is under investigation for four yellow cards he received ranging from 2022 to 2023.
He picked up the bookings during our Premier League clashes with Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds United and Bournemouth.
Paqueta is being accused of a betting scam whereby more than 60 separate bets were placed from ‘Paqueta Island’ in Brazil, backing him to pick up yellow cards.
Those bets amounted to winnings of around £100,000. So what’s the precedent?
Stratford Town defender Kynan Isaac was given a ten-year suspension for betting on himself to be booked in an FA Cup tie in 2021.
Meanwhile, Ivan Toney and Sandro Tonali were handed eight and 10 month bans respectively, after placing bets for their teams to win.
Top sports lawyer Matheus Laupman suggested that Paqueta could be handed a six-month ban depending on what he describes as the ‘seriousness of the facts’.
In my view, a six-month ban would be a massive result for the Hammer star, and if he’s found guilty, I fully expect the book to be thrown at him.
The latest update coming out of Brazil sounds very ominous indeed…
Brazilian senator’s Lucas Paqueta betting investigation update
Senator Jorge Kajuru was recently named as the president of The Parliamentary Inquiry Commission, also known as the CPI – an organisation formed to investigate match-fixing accusations in Brazilian sport.
Kajuru has confirmed to CNN Brazil that he will meet with other members of the CPI committee to make a decision on Paqueta on June 10th:
He said, “you have to listen to the other companions, colleagues and friends”, obviously meaning that certain people close to Paqueta will be called to testify.
CNN then suggest that the Brazilian senator could even summon the West Ham star himself in front of the CPI.
The main takeaway from this is that we should know much more about the 26-year-old’s situation by the time June 10th rolls around.
What makes the comments from Kajaru really concerning is the fact that he was the man who back in September of 2023 was calling for the West Ham star to be banned for life.
Lucas Paqueta may well receive a long-term ban for the alleged betting breaches. All we can do is hope that he hasn’t actually done anything wrong, and is found innocent of all the alleged charges levelled against him.
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