- West Ham are reportedly considering taking the FA to court over Lucas Paqueta’s suspension
- The star is accused of deliberately collecting yellow cards in four matches
- The club claims it would be ‘unfair’ for the player to lose his active career
West Ham are reportedly considering taking the Football Association (FA) to court over a potential lifetime ban for Lucas Paqueta.
The Brazilian playmaker, who is accused of deliberately collecting yellow cards in four Premier League games against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth, could be banned from football for life if the English Football Association finds him guilty.
Paqueta, 26, has been allowed to continue playing for West Ham until the end of the disciplinary process. He denies any wrongdoing in relation to the spot-fixing charges.
According to The sunthe Hammers are now is considering going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne to prevent the FA from dealing with the case.
According to the outlet, the club is arguing that the ‘jurisdiction of the English Football Association’ over the matter is being questioned, as the suspicious bets linked to Paqueta’s suspension took place in Brazil.
West Ham are reportedly considering taking the FA to court over the potential suspension of Lucas Paqueta
The FA charged the West Ham striker with multiple breaches of their betting rules in May
In addition, West Ham find it ‘unfair’ that the Brazilian should lose his active career due to the spot-fixing allegations.
Mail Sport exclusively broke the story of Paqueta’s betting investigation in August 2023, which led to the rejection of his proposed £85million transfer to Premier League champions Manchester City.
English Football Association guidelines state that players found guilty of spot-fixing could face a ban of between six months and life in prison.
According to a report in The Sun last month, the FA’s charges include a recommendation that Paqueta be banned for life if he is found guilty of the offences.
Paqueta denied any wrongdoing, saying in a statement on social media in May: ‘I am extremely surprised and angry that the FA have decided to charge me.
‘For nine months I cooperated with every step of their investigation and provided all the information I could.
“I completely deny the allegations and will fight with every breath to clear my name.”
After competing with Brazil in the Copa America, he is expected to return to West Ham in the United States next week as the pre-season tour continues.
The club believes it would be unfair for the player to lose his career because of the charges
Paqueta expressed his surprise at the allegations and continues to deny any wrongdoing
Earlier this month, West Ham won Technical director Tim Steidten stressed that the uncertainty surrounding Paqueta has no impact on their transfer strategy.
“It’s not that difficult to be honest, because the information we have is quite simple: he’s part of our team and he can play for us,” Steidten said.
“I don’t have many thoughts about this, as long as no one has told me or us anything else. Of course we have to react, but at the moment he is part of our team and it is not really a big problem for us.
“He is a member of our family and we look forward to seeing him.”
