directly sought to influence the progress, conduct, or any other aspect of, or occurrence in these matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market in order for one or more persons to profit from betting.”Paqueta, who joined West Ham from Lyon for an initial £36.5m in August 2022, said he was “extremely surprised and upset” by the charges.”For nine months, I have co-operated with every step of their investigation and provided all the information I can. I deny all the charges in their entirety and will fight with every breath to clear my name,” he added.Paqueta has also been charged with “two breaches of FA Rule F3 in respect of alleged failures to comply pursuant to FA Rule F2”, which relates to providing information and documents.The charges came on the same day the Hammers confirmed the appointment of Julen Lopetegui as their new head coach following the departure of David Moyes.A West Ham statement said: “The club will continue to stand by and support the player throughout the process.”Paqueta, who has been picked in Brazil’s squad for the Copa America next month, has until 3 June to respond to the charge of “misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of FA Rules E5 and F3″ subject to any request for an extension.West Ham 0-2 Leicester – 12 November 2022Paqueta booked for a ‘lunge’ on Leicester midfielder Boubakary Soumare in the 60th minute.He is booked at 1-0 and the match finishes 2-0 to Leicester.West Ham 1-1 Aston Villa – 12 March 2023Paqueta booked for what is described as a ‘lunging challenge’ on John McGinn in the 70th minute, with the score at 1-1.West Ham 3-1 Leeds United – 21 May 2023Paqueta is booked for pulling back Leeds winger Crysencio Summerville on the counter-attack in the 65th minute.It happens at 1-1, with West Ham going on to win 3-1.West Ham 1-1 Bournemouth – 12 August 2023In the opening game of this season, Paqueta is booked for handball in the 94th minute, with the match finishing 1-1.)|(user:Make the title 60 characthers long and SEO optimized and dont add any quotation marks, mkae it simple and understandable. )))” config=”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”]

West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta is in trouble with the Football Association (FA) for allegedly getting himself deliberately booked in matches to affect the betting market. The charges against him relate to games played in 2022 and 2023, including one against Leicester City on 12 November 2022, where he received a yellow card. The Brazil international, who moved to West Ham from Lyon for £36.5 million, denied the allegations and vowed to clear his name.

Paqueta, who is also part of Brazil’s squad for the upcoming Copa America, is accused of intentionally seeking bookings to manipulate match outcomes and profit from betting. The FA charged him with “two breaches of FA Rule F3” for failing to provide necessary information and documents for the investigation. The midfielder, who had been cooperating with the inquiry, expressed surprise and disappointment at the charges brought against him.

This news emerged on the same day West Ham announced Julen Lopetegui as their new head coach. The club stated their support for Paqueta throughout the process. The midfielder has until 3 June to respond to the allegations. The authorities are investigating if his bookings during matches indeed reflected an attempt to influence the results for illicit gains. We will have to wait and see how this situation unfolds in the coming days.

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