Premier League star charged by FA for actions against Leeds United and three others

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A Premier League star has been charged by the FA for his actions against Leeds United and three others.

West Ham United and Brazil star Lucas Paqueta has been charged by the FA for his actions against Leeds United and three other teams. Paqueta has been charged for alleged breaches of betting rules in four games in which he was booked.

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One of those bookings was picked up against Leeds in the Premier League clash at the London Stadium of May 2023 in which the Irons recorded a 3-1 success. Paqueta was booked in the 65th minute for a trip on Crysencio Summerville, at which point the hosts were 1-0 up.

A statement released by the FA on Thursday afternoon read: “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.

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“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 FA will be making no further comment until the conclusion of this case.”

Paqueta quickly responded via his Instagram page, saying that he denied the charges in their entirety and was extremely surprised and upset at the decision.

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Sky News sports correspondent Rob Harris told Sky Sports News: “This is one of the most serious cases prosecuted by the FA in this area. This is very much about the alleged manipulation of matches by the West Ham player.”

Asked how severe the sanctions could be if the case was proven, he said: “Amongst the guidelines are six months to a life ban for each of these charges. We do have one precedent and this is actually a Lincoln player at the time, Bradley Wood, who was banned for five years for intentionally picking up two bookings so that gives an indication of the potential punishment range that is available for the FA.”

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