According to the Times and other British media reports, Paqueta's allegations of deliberately yellowing and manipulating the game will be overturned, and West Ham and the player will win a big victory in the lawsuit.
reported that after an independent committee investigation, Paqueta has cleared the suspicion and is expected to announce a decision next week. The FA is now facing the possibility of litigation costs, which can reach up to 1 million pounds.
According to previous Post reports, West Ham United had agreed to sell him to Manchester City for £85 million before Paqueta was investigated, but the transfer broke down due to the FA's investigation. The breakdown of the deal has caused huge economic losses to West Ham and Paqueta. Now 27-year-old Paqueta is worth 28 million euros.
【Incident Background】
The FA filed four betting manipulation charges and two allegations of obstruction of investigation against Paqueta, and suggested that if the independent arbitration committee finds him guilty, he will be suspended for life.
The FA accused Paqueta of "directly affecting the game process by deliberately seeking the referee to show a yellow card, and his improper purpose is to manipulate the gambling market and enable relevant personnel to make illegal profits from it." Paqueta strongly denied all charges and withdrew from the Brazilian national team to fully respond to the upcoming hearing.
Survey shows that in the four Premier League games from 2022 to 2023, there were about 60 bets against Paqueta for yellow cards. The FA accused him of making profits for relatives and friends by deliberately dyeing yellow. However, the smallest amount involved is in sharp contrast with the severity of the case: the minimum bet is 7 pounds and the maximum bet is 400 pounds.