Lucas Paqueta set to miss crunch West Ham match in December to appear at betting investigation

Evening Standard

·1 November 2024

Lucas Paqueta set to miss crunch West Ham match in December to appear at betting investigation

Lucas Paqueta is set to miss West Ham’s trip to Leicester City next month to appear in front of a betting investigation in the Brazilian parliament.

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The 27-year-old Brazilian international had been due to give evidence in Sao Paolo this week to the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) on the Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting, but his legal team succeeded in getting his appearance postponed.

On Wednesday, the CPI confirmed Paqueta must now give evidence to senators on December 3 as part of their investigation into illegal betting in Brazil.

That date clashes with the Hammers’ trip to newly promoted Leicester, and it is understood that Paqueta will miss that game in order to be in Brazil, although the date of his appearance could be subject to further change.

Paqueta has so far featured in all 11 of West Ham’s matches across all competitions this season, and is expected to be involved in the Hammers’ away game against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Paqueta was charged by the Football Association in May with alleged breaches of FA Rules E5 and F3 - namely spot-fixing, allegedly getting himself deliberately booked in four Premier League games - and he is also under investigation in Brazil. He insists his innocence.

In July, the West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui admitted the midfielder was “struggling” in the wake of the charges.

Last month, Paqueta wrote publicly on X (formerly Twitter): “I have instructed my lawyers to write to the FA to request that they conduct a thorough investigation into how information about the case, even if inaccurate, is finding its way into the public domain.”

Paqueta’s uncle Bruno Tolentino, who appeared before the CPI on Wednesday, is also under investigation in Brazil after admitting to paying ex-Real Betis forward Luiz Henrique £5,000 just days after he received two suspicious yellow cards which triggered an investigation in Spain. Both Tolentino and Henrique deny any wrongdoing.

Both Tolentino’s and Paqueta’s cases were reported to authorities by Betway, the online gambling firm who are West Ham’s front-of-shirt sponsor.