Things appear to have just got a lot worse for Lucas Paquetá, who is still fighting FA charges for betting irregularities.
The Sun is reporting today that members of Paquetá’s family are involved. Rumours began to emerge yesterday that Lucas’s uncle and cousin admitted to paying a former Real Betis striker £5,000 shortly after Paquetá received yellow cards, which triggered an investigation in Spain.
The newspaper suggests that the Spanish and English betting investigations are linked, therefore it’s safe to assume that they are sharing information and the FA will be fully ware of the latest developments.
The original charges are believed to centre around members of Paquetá’s family placing bets on the player to receive bookings so these recent revelations appear to align with the FA’s suspicions.
Paquetá’s uncle, Bruno Tolentino, has admitted to winning money on matches involving his nephew but has denied receiving any inside information.
It should be noted that until the results of the FA hearing, Paquetá remains innocent; however, the latest turn of events is a concern. The last thing West Ham need at the moment is more controversy at a time when things are going so poorly on the pitch with the Hammers new head coach Julen Lopetegui already under pressure.
The Sun is always a reliable source of information……..not
Without the level of proof required to make criminal charges, it’s hard to see quite how Paqueta could be given any sort of lengthy ban. He’d just appeal it in court as a restriction of trade under ECHR and win.
It all seems like a storm in a teacup still, there are further rumours of him having paid a Betis player 5k I think which he says was just repaying a loan when he had the money.
Who knows if there is anything in it or not ? Hopefully it all turns out ok and he is exonerated, feels like it will be hard to prove without irrefutable evidence.
Maybe we should all have a bet on when his form will return ?
Perhaps his current rubbish form is the form of a man who knows he’s guilty and is looking at a lengthy ban?
‘Ere Gonzo, can we have some good West Ham news please mate?