West Ham player Lucas Paqueta is set to be cleared of FA spot fixing charges, as revealed by The Times this evening, in an article penned by Matt Lawton and Martyn Ziegler.
They cite sources with knowledge of the case, and tonight Claret and Hugh have heard the same from another source close to the player.
The official FA announcement is now expected to be made next week in what is sure to be an embarrassment for them but a huge relief for Paqueta, his family and West Ham.
Paqueta’s legal fees, which include barrister Nick De Marco KC, are estimated to have cost him as much as £1 million, and the FA could face a compensation claim to recover those fees.
Claret and Hugh were first tipped off that a verdict was imminent today around midnight last night, but frustratingly, Friday came and went without a statement.
The Times news, which we believe is correct, brings some welcome good news to the end of the week.
Why has it taken 2 years it must have had a profound effect on the player and his family in a time when we are aware of so many people struggling with mental health issues . Put it in the hands of a lawyer and see if there’s a case to answer.
I agree with people when they call the FA incompetent. The way this has been handled and the way Manchester City and Chelsea have been alliwed to play fast and loose with the rules.
However, what would be the point in any investigation if the outcome had to be found guilty for it to hold any credibility. People are allowed to be found innocent after investigation, it doesn’t make the investigation or organisation that carried it out sinister or wrong for carrying it out. It’s called the course of justice and is good for everyone that people can face fair trials.
The FA should be sued and made accountable by Westham and her stakeholders.
If this is true the FA should resign forthwith
Why ?
Plenty of people are put on trial and subsequently found innocent. If there was good enough reason to investigate something due to betting patterns yet couldn’t find the evidence to pin it on Paqueta then that’s no reason to sue the investigation.
Apologies required all round from a lot of people then it seems.
Hmm. Who will sue the FA on behalf of all season ticket holders I wonder? I wouldn’t mind getting a bit of money out of this. Two years of stress worrying about poor old Paqueta. I think I need some sort of compensation.
If this is true, the FA have proved themselves incompetent. Two years to come to a not guilty verdict…….they deserved to be sued
Obviously we don’t have access to the information the FA had that made them believe an investigation was warranted.
However, surely before announcing one you would exercise due diligence, thoroughly examining the evidence gathered.
Only then, announcing a full investigation before laying charges.
The way this whole debacle has been handled by the FA almost warrants an investigation of it’s own (but lets not have them investigate themselves).
• Who informed them/tipped them off?
• Was pressure brought to bear (by a third party) on the FA to pursue a case which was flimsy at best?
Of course the FA should follow up any information into wrongdoing that can influence the outcome of a game. But they should remember that they owe a duty of care to the person being investigated.
The mental toll this must have taken on the player, to be publicly accused of wrongdoing, only to be cleared. After 2 years!
The FA would do well to make publicly available (with redactions if necessary), the information they were given, that they gained via their investigation, and their reason they believed it was enough to warrant charges.
I think that’s owed to the player, his family, the club and the fans.
Who tipped them off? That information is out there in the public domain. It was, as I understand it, our very own shirt sponsor Betway.
I hope he and West Ham now go after the FA. He would probably have earned about 300,000 a week at City just as Grealish does. So huge loss of earnings there. Also we stand to get about fifty million less on a transfer fee for him than we would have done two years ago. His mental health has also suffered badly. They obviously must have dragged it out to try and find more evidence but couldn’t. Then they don’t want to make themselves look stupid so it goes on longer. Disgraceful!