West Ham United star Lucas Paquetá has been accused of offering to get himself booked while playing as a ‘birthday present’ for his brother.
That’s according to ESPN, who cover comments from businessman Bruno López de Moura as he acts as a ‘whistle-blower’ for the Senate Betting Commission investigation into the West Ham star.
They report that De Moura claimed that Paquetá offered to get himself booked as a “birthday present” for his brother Matheus Tolentino.
The promise was made for the match against Aston Villa on March 12th, 2023, the same day as his brother’s birthday.
This story has been included in the commissions final report for the investigation, which some outlets have now been given access to.
De Moura revealed to the ICC that he had “prior knowledge of the manipulation” and that is why he made a combined bet on matches involving Paquetá and Luiz Henrique, who is also being investigated.
The businessman was informed by Marlon Bruno Nascimento da Silva that Paquetá had told him he would be booked while playing for West Ham. The report also claims that Marlon received $16,823 in five payments from Paquetá’s uncle Bruno Tolentino.
Also, according to Bruno, Marlons was a friend of Matheus, Paquetá’s brother. Bruno has been labelled as the leader of the gang accused of fixing matches in the Serie A and B of the Brasileirão in 2022 and state matches in 2023.
Paquetá has been investigated by Brazilian authorities and the English FA, with the latter accusing him of improper conduct in four West Ham matches between 2022 and 2023.
He denies the charges and was summoned to testify before the Senate CPI in Brazil but asked to postpone that. Now De Moura’s claims in the report have come to light and put the focus back on the West Ham star again.
