Why Lucas Paqueta will miss West Ham vs Leicester City match in Premier League?

Paqueta could face a lifetime ban from football if found guilty of betting.

After being called before the Brazilian parliament as part of a betting investigation, Lucas Paqueta is apparently going to miss a forthcoming match for Premier League outfit West Ham.

The story states that on December 3, when West Ham visits Leicester City, the 27-year-old would testify before the Parliamentary Commission of Investigation on the Manipulation of Sports and Games Betting in Sao Paulo.

The attacking midfielder was scheduled to appear in court this week, but his legal team was able to delay that appearance. But in a little more than a month, he will now testify before Brazilian senators as part of the probe into illicit betting.

In addition, Paqueta is being investigated after the English Football Association accused him of four cases of spot-fixing in 2022 and 2023, allegedly receiving yellow cards on purpose to profit from wagers. In particular, there are concerns that if the Brazil international is found guilty of these alleged violations of betting rules, he might be banned from football for life.

Throughout, Paqueta has maintained his innocence, and earlier in October, he criticized the FA for how they handled this procedure, which he claims was no longer confidential.

He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “I have instructed my lawyers to write to the FA to request that they conduct a thorough investigation into how information about the case, even if inaccurate, is finding its way into the public domain.”

This season the Hammers have started the new term poorly as they are struggling to win matches under the new coach Julen Lopetegui, and now they will miss one of the most key players for the next match.

Paqueta may play for West Ham on Saturday when they visit Nottingham Forest, who are currently playing well, in their upcoming Premier League match while these investigations are ongoing. Forest are currently in seventh place in the division, while the Hammers are in thirteenth.

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