Lucas Paqueta considering suing the FA after 'surprising, concerning & contradictory flaws' found in written judgement of West Ham star's spot-fixing trial

The Brazil international was cleared in July 2025 of four counts of deliberately picking up yellow cards in order to influence betting markets. Said ruling was reached after a two-year investigation that led to questions of Paqueta’s integrity and cost him a big-money transfer.

A 314-page document has been published that details how an independent commission reached its decision, with serious holes being picked in the FA’s failed case. According to the Daily Mail, Paqueta is mulling over legal options of his own.

Alistair Campbell, the head of Paqueta's legal team, has told the Mail: “It's certainly something that is at the forefront of our minds and those discussions are ongoing. I can't say we're about to run off to court but it's something that's under consideration.

“It's a judgement that's quite critical of the FA at some points but there are other points where it says you can see why suspicion was raised.

“The driving factor behind this will be what it's cost Lucas in terms of his career and potential earnings. That is significant. He was on the verge of a move to Man City when this first happened and they went on to win the Premier League that year. There's an empty space in his trophy cabinet that can't be filled by an exoneration and by some recompense.

“He definitely feels aggrieved. The judgement comprehensively exonerates him so the ultimate decision will rest with Lucas but we will certainly be exploring all possibilities.”

The FA has been accused of failing to call “independent” experts in important parts of the trial, with their own betting integrity officer, Tom Astley, being used as a chief witness despite his professional ties to the association.

The case review stated: “From the commission's perspective the evidence presented by the FA on the betting data had an obvious flaw, namely the lack of an independent expert assessment of that data. That the FA chose to advance the most important element of its case without any such independent expert assessment of it was, in the commission's view, surprising.”

While Paqueta may decide to add a new dimension to the long-running case, the FA has confirmed that it will not be appealing the verdict that has cleared the 28-year-old South American of deliberately picking up cautions.