The Brazilian soccer player, accused of being part of a fraud scheme through sports betting, published a statement on his social networks.
Brazil.- Lucas Paquetá, a Brazilian soccer player investigated for months for his involvement in a sports betting fraud network, made a statement on his social networks in which he lamented the “false and misleading information” published about his accusation of involvement in the case.
In the post on his Instagram account, the midfielder for the Brazil national team and West Ham stated that he feels frustrated by articles that “seem designed to undermine his position” and criticized the English Football Association (FA).
“I am concerned that, although false and misleading, these articles clearly come from someone close to the case. The FA's procedures should be confidential and are extremely serious for me and my family. The leakage and publication of inaccurate information in the press,” explained Paquetá.
He then added: "I am now putting my chance of receiving a fair hearing at risk, so I have instructed my lawyers to write to the FA to ask them to conduct a full investigation into how the information about the case, inaccurate as it may be, is reaching the public domain the accusations against me and I am eager to prove my innocence.” The statement that Paquetá published on his social networks was also shared by his club, West Ham.
While Paquetá's actions are being investigated in England, progress is also being made in this regard in Brazil. The Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) on Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting sent a request to the English Football Association to share the information it has on the case.
See also: The president of the CPI on Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting argues that Paquetá should be removed from the Brazilian national team
In the request, the president of the CPI, Senator Jorge Kajuru, points out that any information received about Paquetá will be “treated in an absolutely confidential manner, stored in a closed, encrypted environment and accessible only by parliamentarians who are members of the FA commission and authorized servers”.
