By Sean Whetstone
Lucas Paqueta’s FA hearing over match fixing has been postponed until the summer clearing him to play for West Ham for the remainer of the season.
The FA charged the West Ham player last May for allegedly getting booked deliberately “for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market”.
The Brazilian was also charged with two breaches of FA Rule F3, which relate to his mobile phone.
Paqueta has strongly denied all four charges brought against him insisting “misleading and inaccurate” reporting is putting his chances of a fair disciplinary hearing at risk.
Back in October last year Paqueta took to social media to say, “I am frustrated and upset to have read recent misleading and inaccurate press articles, published in both England and Brazil, claiming to disclose information about my case, Some of that information is entirely false and appears designed to undermine my position.
“I am also concerned that, although they are false and misleading, these articles are clearly sourced from an individual close to the case.”
“The FA proceedings are supposed to be confidential and they are extremely serious for me and my family,”
“The continued leaking and publication of inaccurate information in the press is now putting at risk my chance of receiving a fair hearing.
“I have, therefore, 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.”
Originally the FA hearing was expected to be heard in late January this year but that was moved to March but now sources close to the player claim the hearing will be rescheduled to the summer after the Premier League season has completed.
