Lucas Paqueta’s trial into alleged betting breaches began just under two weeks ago.
West Ham star Lucas Paqueta has experienced a torrid time over the past 18 months or so, after it emerged that he was being investigated for potential breaches of betting rules.
It is alleged that the Brazilian purposely picked up four yellow cards on separate occasions from November 2022 to August 2023.
He was then charged at the start of this season.
And it has since been suggested that the West Ham owners are fearful that Lucas Paqueta could receive a lifetime ban if he’s proven guilty of the charges he faces.
Lucas Paqueta broke his silence regarding the betting breach trial in October 2024 and released a lengthy statement pleading his innocence.
But what does the future really hold for Lucas?
Lucas Paqueta’s trial underway
The trial began on Monday, March 17th, and is expected to last for around three weeks.
Because the burden of proof is lower in a civil case than it is in a criminal one, many are expecting the book to be thrown at Paqueta.
With that in mind, it was suggested that our clash with Everton two weeks ago could have actually been Paqueta’s last game for the Hammers.
Having the 27-year-old banned for life would be terrible news for the player himself, and West Ham of course.
It would mean that we would have a lucrative asset on our hands that we won’t actually be able to sell.
And the FA are clearly pushing very hard to make an example of the Brazil international.
Lucas Paqueta betting trial twist
The thought of never seeing Paqueta in a Hammers shirt again is a very sad one indeed.
However, a new report from Claret and Hugh claims that might not actually be the case.
It is suggested that Lucas Paqueta is expected to take the field for West Ham for our clash with Wolves on Tuesday night.
C&H suggest that the trial was expected to last two weeks, rather than the original three that was reported, and no decision has yet been made regarding the outcome.
So it seems like the West Ham fans definitely haven’t seen the last of Lucas Paqueta.
Quite how short-lived that will be remains to be seen though.
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