Lucas Paqueta expressed his concerns on social media regarding the ongoing gambling case reports against him.
In May this year, the West Ham United midfielder was charged by the English Football Association with four breaches of its betting rules.
It is alleged that during four Premier League matches between November 2022 and August 2023, he intentionally tried to be shown a yellow card to influence the betting market, "allowing one or more persons to profit from betting."
Throughout the process, Paqueta has denied these allegations, and additionally, the English FA has summoned him to testify via video conference to the Brazilian Sports Betting Commission by the end of this month.
The statement released by the player today emphasizes that he continues to deny the charges against him, and also expresses concerns about what he described as "misleading and inaccurate news articles" surrounding the case, questioning how this information was discovered and how it could affect the case.
In a statement on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Paqueta said: "Recently, I have read some misleading and inaccurate news articles, published both in the UK and Brazil, claiming to disclose information about my case, which has left me frustrated and uneasy. Some of this information is completely false and seems intended to undermine my position.
"I am also concerned that, although these articles are false and misleading, they apparently come from individuals closely associated with the case. The FA's litigation process should be confidential, which is extremely important for me and my family. The constant leaking and publishing of inaccurate information now jeopardizes my chance of a fair trial.
"Therefore, I have instructed my lawyers to write to the English FA, requesting them to thoroughly investigate how information about this case, even if inaccurate, entered the public domain. I continue to deny the charges against me and look forward to proving my innocence."
