West Ham star, LUCAS PAQUETA, summoned to parliament in Brazil amid ongoing illegal betting investigation

Friday, November 1, 2024 - West Ham and Brazilian footballer, Lucas Paqueta has reportedly been summoned to his country's parliament over the ongoing betting investigation.

Earlier this year, the Football Association charged him with four counts of spot-fixing, and he is also under investigation in his home country.

The West Ham star is accused of being deliberately booked in an attempt to influence betting markets and is expected to face a hearing next March. The Football Association alleges that Paqueta was deliberately booked in matches against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds, and Bournemouth so that either he and/or his friends could profit from bets placed on him being carded.

Paqueta has denied all the charges against him, previously said that he 'will fight with every breath to clear my name', and insists he has cooperated fully with the investigation.

Paqueta was initially due to give evidence in Sao Paulo to the Commission of Inquiry (CPI) on the Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting this week as part of an investigation into illegal betting, but his legal team argued successfully to have the appointment postponed.

However, according to The Sun, the player is now set to miss the Premier League clash with Leicester City on December 3. A ruling on Wednesday forced Paqueta to give evidence to Brazilian senators on the same day.

Earlier in October he hit out at ‘entirely false’ information being reported around his betting charges and has called on the FA to investigate ‘leaks’ regarding his case.

It was recently reported that the FA are bringing two new charges for alleged non-cooperation and are accusing Paqueta of obstructing the investigation, but he dismissed that version of events on Thursday.

‘I am frustrated and upset to have read misleading and inaccurate articles in both England and Brazil, claiming to disclose information about my case,’ said Paqueta. ‘Some of that information is entirely false and appears designed to undermine my position.

‘I am also concerned that, although they are false, these articles are clearly sourced from an individual close to the case. The FA proceedings are supposed to be confidential, and they are extremely serious for me and my family.

‘The continued leaking of inaccurate information is putting at risk my chance of receiving a fair hearing. I have therefore instructed my lawyers to write to the FA to request they conduct a thorough investigation into how information about the case, even if inaccurate, is finding its way into the public domain.’

Paqueta's uncle, Bruno Tolentino, is also under investigation in Brazil, after paying £5000 to ex-Real Betis striker Luiz Henrique days after being booked twice. This triggered a probe in Spain. Both Tolentino and Henrique have denied any wrongdoing.

In both cases, the suspicious activity was reported by West Ham's shirt sponsor Betway.

Paqueta's uncle appeared in front of the CPI on Wednesday, but other than confirming his name refused to answer questions - a move which is thought to have earned the criticism of the CPI's president.

Around 60 people - some of whom are the player's family members - in Brazil are said to have wagered bets between £7 and £400 on him being booked in relevant games, with total winnings of £100,000. He is reportedly set to face a hearing in March.