Lucas Paqueta's family caught in FA investigation into alleged spot-fixing after West Ham star's relatives admit to paying ex-Betis star Luiz Henrique

Paqueta’s uncle and cousin, Bruno and Yan Tolentino, allegedly paid former Real Betis striker Luiz Henrique over £5,000 shortly after Henrique received two controversial yellow cards - which led La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to open an investigation. The betting irregularities surrounding Henrique’s yellow cards have been closely tied to the FA's investigation into Paqueta's involvement in similar spot-fixing activities. The charges against Paqueta reportedly include four counts of spot-fixing, a serious offence that could result in severe consequences for the Brazilian midfielder.

The integrity alerts that flagged the suspicious betting patterns involving both Paqueta and Henrique were reportedly raised by Betway, the online gambling company that sponsors West Ham. It is believed that many of the questionable bets involving Paqueta were placed by members of his own family, further complicating the investigation.

In an interview with Brazilian media outlet UOL, Paqueta’s uncle Bruno Tolentino admitted to making two bank transfers totalling £5,500 to Henrique. However, Tolentino insisted that the payments were related to a personal loan rather than any illicit activity.

He explained: "It was money that I owed him and I paid it. It was an agreement between us. It was money that I owed him and he had lent it to me. We agreed to pay it back and we did. When I had the money to pay it back, I paid it. I can play, I'm not prohibited. I just can't have privileged information. From Luiz Henrique, it was pure luck, man. It's one in a million."

The FA was reportedly unaware of Tolentino’s involvement in the case until these recent revelations, but they are now expanding their investigation, The Sunreports. Paqueta is yet to face a formal disciplinary hearing, but it is expected that a three-person independent commission will handle the case once the FA ties up its arguments. If found guilty, Paqueta could face a lifelong ban from professional football.