London: The Football Association (FA) has announced it will not appeal against the decision by an independent commission to clear West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta of four spot-fixing charges. The commission’s written reasons for their decisions were published on Wednesday afternoon, shedding light on the case’s outcome.
According to Ghana News Agency, the FA stated that sanctions pertaining to two charges, which were proven concerning Paqueta’s alleged failure to cooperate with the FA investigation, are yet to be decided. These decisions will be made by the commission at the earliest opportunity. The FA emphasized its commitment to maintaining the integrity of football and assured that full and thorough investigations would always be conducted into serious allegations of rule breaches.
The allegations against Paqueta suggested that he had deliberately attempted to receive a card in four Premier League games between November 2022 and August 2023. However, these charges were ultimately found not proven by the independent commission, leading to the current decision by the FA not to pursue an appeal.