Lucas Paqueta acquittal sees FA slammed for 'obvious flaw' in spot-fixing case against West Ham & Brazil star

As reported by The Guardian, a 'damning' 314-page report has been submitted by the commission which looked into Paqueta's case after the West Ham star was charged with four counts of spot-fixing in May 2024, nearly a year after investigations into the charges began. The Brazil international has since been cleared of all charges but the controversy may not yet be over. The report claims that the FA's failure to provide an independent assessment of the betting data involved was an "obvious flaw".

The report also claims that the FA contradicted the statements of its main witness, FA betting integrity investigator Tom Astley, leading the commission to believe that the FA "was not altogether certain what case it was presenting against the player".

The charges claimed that Paqueta deliberately picked up a yellow card in four Premier League matches between November 2022 and August 2023 for the financial gain of loved ones back in Brazil - charges that the 28-year-old was acquitted of. It is understood that the FA are not planning to appeal the verdict.

The commission's report continued: “The commission wishes to record its surprise that at the investigation stage of what were clearly serious matters… the FA were apparently not interested in what the player had to say, notwithstanding his stance, taken on advice, in the first interview."

Nick De Marco KC, who represented Paqueta, claimed on X that the report was “understood to be the longest sports-related judgment ever issued in the world, a reflection of how serious the case was, and the amount of evidence deployed in the biggest case in the FA’s history”.

It is not known whether Paqueta or the outcome of the legal procedure will be impacted by the commission's report. Considering the evidence presented during the hearings, which pointed towards the verdict of the player's innocence, it is more likely that the document aims to target the FA and its approach to such cases in the future. Nevertheless, it will not be pleasant reading for Paqueta or his family to see such criticism of a situation where his career was on the line.