The trial for Lucas Paqueta began last week, in what’s set to be one of the longest court proceedings in the English Football Association’s (FA) history. The West Ham midfielder has been charged with breaching betting rules and has been under investigation since last summer. The charges are related to four separate Premier League games when Paqueta is alleged to have been “booked deliberately for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market.” The investigation started after an unusually large number of bets were placed on Paqueta receiving yellow cards in different West Ham matches last year. The bets were reported to the International Betting Integrity Association, who alerted FIFA and the FA.

“It's alleged that he [Paqueta] 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,” the FA said in a statement. Though Paqueta is not accused of placing any bets, friends and family allegedly placed approximately 60 bets in relatively small amounts. Paqueta has also been charged with “two breaches of FA Rule F3 in respect of alleged failures to comply pursuant to FA Rule F2,” which relates to providing information and documents during an official inquiry.

Paqueta has denied any wrongdoing and previously stated: “I am extremely surprised and upset that the FA has decided to charge me. . . I deny the charges in their entirety and will fight with every breath to clear my name.” His defense team is arguing that Paqueta has “a poor disciplinary record that gamblers were aware of and that is why bets were placed on him to receive yellow cards,” and that he had asked not to play in one of the games in which the alleged deliberate booking occurred, “so there could not have been an organised conspiracy to be booked.” The FA, however, argues that the betting patterns and ways in which Paqueta received the bookings indicates deliberate misconduct.

Though there are few precedents for in-match game manipulation, the FA has sanctioned other players for betting on the outcome of games. Former Brentford striker Ivan Toney served an eight-month ban for betting violations, some of which involved his own team, though not in any matches in which he played. Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali was handed a suspended two-month ban after admitting to violations of FA betting rules, after previously serving a 10-month ban from the Italian Football Federation for breaching rules on betting on matches in Italy. If it’s determined that Paqueta committed the alleged offenses, he faces the possibility of a lifetime ban.

Cassandra Devaney is a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Sources:

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11685/13141950/lucas-paqueta-west-ham-midfielder-charged-by-fa-for-alleged-breaches-of-betting-rules

https://www.brazilreports.com/brazilian-soccer-star-lucas-paqueta-on-trial-in-england-over-betting-scandal/6910/