Paqueta Yellows Being Investigated
Sports betting’s place in football has been placed intensely under a microscope over the last 12 months. The Ivan Toney betting scandal, which is now back in the news following the Brentford’s striker’s appearance on the popular Diary of a CEO podcast, the Premier League’s voluntary ban on gambling sponsors, and the launch of the White Paper in May have all contributed to this scrutiny.
The eyes of the media are now getting more intense, with West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta being investigated for alleged betting breaches. The 25-year-old Brazilian is currently being investigated by the FA but denies any wrongdoing.
Alleged Offences
Mail Sport has reported that the investigation is focused on three yellow cards that Paqueta received when playing for West Ham. The first of these came on March 11, with the second being on May 21, and the most recent being in the club’s opening game against Bournemouth.
The investigation is said to have been ongoing for five months, with the FA being informed by the Integrity Commission following the booking at Bournemouth. It is believed that Betway, the official club sponsor of West Ham, was the company that initially notified the authorities following unusual betting patterns.
Suspicious betting patterns were traced back to Paqueta Island, which is the birthplace of the West Ham midfielder. These same suspicious betting patterns had been allegedly noticed for the previous two bookings.
Paqueta’s booking against Bournemouth attracted very little attention at the time but has been closely analysed since news of the investigation broke.
Transfer Chaos
The investigation has come at a bad time for Paqueta, who was rumoured to be on the brink of a big-money move to Manchester City. West Ham, who have already sold midfielder Declan Rice this transfer window, are said to have rejected an initial approach from City but it now looks as though the reigning Premier League Champions are no longer interested in completing the deal.
West Ham and the FA are yet to comment on the allegations. The club has asked the FA to postpone an interview with Paqueta in order to prepare a response to the allegations. Paqueta himself is understood to have denied the allegations levelled against him.
While the club has yet to comment on the situation, it is notable that they decided to play him against Chelsea this Sunday despite the investigation that is taking place.
