West Ham star Lucas Paqueta faces years on the sidelines should he be found guilty of spot-fixing by the FA.
The Brazilian has been accused of picking up four deliberate yellow cards, with each offence carrying a six-month to lifetime ban.
Former Reading defender Kynan Isaac was hit with a ten-year ban in 2022 for his part in spot-fixing following his yellow card in an FA Cup tie against Shrewsbury.
Paqueta‘s four bookings against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth in the last two seasons are being investigated by the FA – which they claim ‘one or more persons’ benefited from financially.
The 26-year-old, who first came under the FA’s spotlight in August 2023 for breaching betting rules, has denied any wrongdoing in an impassioned social media post.
Following his FA charge, his four bookings have been doing the rounds on social media.
FA statement on Paqueta charges
West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta has been charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of FA Rules E5 and F3.
“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.
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.
Lucas Paqueta has also been charged with two breaches of FA Rule F3 in respect of alleged failures to comply pursuant to FA Rule F2.
The player has until 03 June 2024 to provide a response to these charges subject to any request for an extension to this deadline.
The first came against the Foxes in the 2022/23 season at the London Stadium, where he wiped out Boubakary Soumare, before immediately clattering into Dennis Praet on the hour mark.
In March 2023, the former Lyon star was then cautioned for a poor challenge from behind on Villa skipper John McGinn.
And in the penultimate Premier League clash against Leeds last campaign, he was shown a yellow for pulling back Dutch forward Crysencio Summerville in the 65th minute.
His booking in the opening match at Bournemouth this term is the last of the four, with Paqueta receiving a yellow for handball in stoppage time.
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His FA charge is set to scupper any potential move to Manchester City, who were interested in activating his £85million release clause this summer.
talkSPORT presenter and ex-Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor has been left stunned by what the severity of Paqueta’s ban could be.
Speaking on the talkSPORT Breakfast Show, he said: “Ten Years! Sorry, but wow!
“They’re clever the FA, they’ll be looking at it so many times and being like, ‘Hmm, that’s not a natural booking,’ especially if they find out he’s had bets on, and friends of his had.
“It’s not looking good, is it? How long has it been? It’s been close to a year [since FA launched investigation], hasn’t it?
“So they’ve taken that long, and we’re hearing this now, it doesn’t look good for him at all.”