Lucas Paquetá Could Be Banned From Football After Alleged Match-fixing

 

The English Football Federation wants to permanently ban West Ham midfielder Lucas Paquetá if he is found guilty of allegations of manipulation in four Premiere League matches between November 2022 and August 2023. The information is from the newspaper The Sun, which published a report containing documents detailing information about suspicious bets.

The player is accused of forcing yellow cards in four West Ham matches against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth.

The British publication recalled the case of Kynan Isaac, a Stratford Town defender who was suspended for ten years for betting that he would receive a yellow card in 2021. For the Federation, “Paquetá's allegations are even more serious”, says The Sun .

Bets were placed from Ilha de Paquetá, the place in Rio de Janeiro where the 26-year-old player was born. According to the newspaper, one of the bets investigated had a value of 7 pounds (R$ 46 at the current exchange rate). According to documents, the company to warn about the “unusual number” of bets was Betway, main sponsor of West Ham, Lucas Paquetá's current team.

Step by step of the case

Andrei Kampff, a lawyer specializing in sports law, explains who will be responsible for judging the case.

“This is a case that is being investigated by an independent English football committee, which will judge the matter. Now, Paquetá and the federation must present their arguments to this committee. The decision may be appealed by the parties, the athlete and the English Federation.

Appeals will be judged by another committee, the Appeals Committee in England. The parties will still be able to appeal, as a last resort within the private legal movement of sport, to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS), in Switzerland”, says Andrei, who details the punishment table in case of conviction.

“It is important to understand the legal framework, in which the athlete was reported, to have an idea of ​​possible punishment in case of conviction. According to the basic table of the English Federation's disciplinary commission, Paquetá could face a sentence ranging from 6 months to being banned from football. What is known is that the federation has been very strict regarding result manipulation, given the precedent of Ivan Toney, Brentford striker, suspended for 8 months for involvement in betting. The penalties in several countries range up to banning, which would be the greatest penalty. It is important to highlight that sporting bodies always guarantee the athlete full defense and the right to contradictory proceedings, even as a way of legitimizing this private legal process of sport”, adds the lawyer.

Ban in Brazil?

Andrei Kampff clarifies that as long as there is no trial, Paquetá has the right to continue playing normally, even if there is an injunction. But, if convicted, in addition to being banned from English football, he could be forced to serve the same sentence applied in England in other countries, including Brazil.

Result manipulation in Brazil

In Brazil, the sports betting manipulation scheme discovered in August 2023, had a decision by the CBF similar to the “internationalization of the penalty” brought by Andrei Kampff.

The CBF asked FIFA for the punishments imposed by the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) to be extended to championships around the world.

The STJD punished 16 players for their involvement in the sports betting manipulation scheme. Eduardo Bauermann, former Santos defender, who had a planned transfer to Turkish football, did not have his contract registered in the Eastern European country.

The request made by the CBF was met by the Turkish Confederation. Bauermann had signed a contract with Alanyaspor. Before, the defender was removed by Santos. He reached an agreement with the club to terminate his contract and went to Turkey, where he did not play.

Paquetá continues with the Brazilian team in the United States. The CBF maintained the player's call-up for the Copa América.

“If convicted in England, the decision applies in the country. Unless the Federation requests an internationalization of the decision, which Brazilian sports justice has already done with FIFA in cases of manipulation, including. Then, FIFA will analyze the issue and may give it international effect, which would prevent the athlete from playing in another country”, says the expert.