With the English media today revealing that West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paquetá is under investigation for potential gambling breaches, the news had a big impact in the Brazilian press as well.
The national team’s new manager Fernando Diniz announced his first squad just hours before the story came out, and had to remove the midfielder from the list.
That was confirmed by him in a press conference, with quotes relayed by Globo Esporte. The manager claims he was trying to protect the West Ham star.
“I’m a guy who… what protects me my whole life is the truth. Paquetá was on the list. He’s a player I like a lot. It’s a question of preservation, letting him resolve these issues, which go beyond the game. Make him more comfortable to resolve. We had these problems here in Brazil,” said Fernando Diniz.
With reporters pushing for more on this subject, Diniz claimed the decision came from him, and nobody superior at CBF had any influence on it.
“This question about Paquetá, I was very clear in my answer. It’s my decision. The CBF has no interference in the decision. I spoke with President Edinaldo. We agreed not to make any judgments. We are preserving Paquetá so that it can be resolved as smoothly as possible. I don’t talk about it any further.”
According to TNT Sports journalist Fred Caldeira, the FA, West Ham and the player’s staff should release statements soon.
Brazil’s squad will face Bolivia and Peru in September. Fernando Diniz is an interim manager, and is supposed to keep the job until next summer. The national team are said to be waiting for the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti to succeed him, even though that move is still to be made official.
