After the Football Association (FA)’s match-fixing allegations against Lucas Paquetá derailed his proposed transfer to Manchester City, the Brazilian midfielder—now cleared of all major charges—and West Ham United are considering launching legal action against the FA, with potential damages reportedly running into tens of millions of pounds.
The 28-year-old Brazilian midfielder was cleared of four key charges last month, and the release of the full arbitration ruling revealed that the panel found “surprising” and “concerning” flaws in the FA’s case against the player.
The ruling also disclosed that Paquetá’s lawyer, Nick de Marco, submitted a statement to the FA during the September 2023 investigation, stating that leaks from the probe “resulted in the collapse of a previously agreed transfer deal—negotiated between West Ham and Manchester City—from which both the player and West Ham would have earned tens of millions of pounds.”
The statement added: “Lucas Paquetá and West Ham United reserve all rights to take action in relation to this matter.”
According to reporters from camel.live, sources close to the player and the club have confirmed that all options for legal action are being evaluated. The FA now faces not only the consequences of the arbitration panel’s ruling but also the threat of a potential lawsuit.
The 314-page ruling revealed that the FA admitted its allegations relied entirely on circumstantial evidence. The arbitration panel noted it was “most surprising” that the FA’s barrister even contradicted the testimony of the FA’s own key witness on certain allegations.
Paquetá was initially accused of intentionally picking up yellow cards to allow friends and family to bet on him receiving bookings. The FA confirmed on Wednesday that it would not appeal the arbitration panel’s verdict.
However, two lesser charges were upheld: Paquetá failed to answer questions and provide information requested for the investigation as required. The ruling stated that any sanction for these offenses would be “of a low level”—likely a fine or warning—since he was acting on legal advice at the time.
The FA claimed that during four Premier League matches Paquetá played in, “at least 253 bettors placed wagers on him getting a yellow card, including at least 26 individuals connected to the player,” with total stakes close to £47,000 and profits of approximately £167,000.
The ruling highlighted several major flaws in the FA’s case:
During the second interview, investigators refused to hear Paquetá’s response to questions he had declined to answer in the first interview (when he had refused on legal advice). The arbitration panel described this as “unexpected.”
Tom Astley, the FA’s betting integrity investigator, lacked independence, and “the FA’s failure to seek any independent expert assessment on its core allegation was a glaring deficiency,” the ruling stated.
Even the FA’s barrister disagreed with the FA’s own betting expert—while the expert argued the bets were “highly organized,” the FA denied this.
The arbitration panel wrote: “The data we have seen significantly undermines the FA’s allegation regarding the player’s motive—namely, that he acted out of a misplaced desire to benefit family and friends. Given his generosity, income level, and lack of interest in gambling, this claim is difficult to sustain.”
Former West Ham manager David Moyes and ex-referee Mark Clattenburg both testified in Paquetá’s defense at the hearing.
Moyes told the hearing: “If he had been intentionally picking up yellow cards, I would have expected him to do something stupid or out of character—like aggressively confronting the referee, kicking the ball away during an opponent’s free kick, or pulling an opponent’s jersey to stop a counterattack. But he did none of these—every yellow card he received came during competitive challenges while he was working hard to track back.”
