- Lucas Paquetá would have asked not to play in West Ham-Bournemouth
- The yellow card that Paquetá received in that match led him to be sanctioned by the FA
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West Ham star Lucas Paquetá has reportedly asked manager David Moyes to leave him out of a match in which he received a controversial yellow card.
Paqueta has been accused by the FA of breaching betting rules, with four specific yellow cards identified for suspicious betting patterns.
The 26-year-old denies the charges and issued a statement in which he said he was surprised and upset.
As reported by SunPaquetá asked Moyes not to play in West Ham’s Premier League season opener at Bournemouth in August 2023, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Paqueta was keen to avoid suffering an injury that could have prevented him from landing an £80million move to Manchester City.
Lucas Paquetá would have asked David Moyes not to play for West Ham against Bournemouth
Paqueta received a late yellow card which sparked an FA investigation
The potential move did not occur after City became aware of the FA investigation.
Paquetá played against Bournemouth and was booked for a handball in the third minute of injury time at the end of the second half. He was substituted in the last minutes of the game.
It was that yellow card that led to the FA investigation into Paquetá, who could be banned for ten years if found guilty.
The yellow cards that Paquetá received against Leicester, Aston Villa and Leeds during the 2022-23 campaign are also under scrutiny.
Paquetá has until Monday to respond to accusations that he deliberately received yellow cards to help his friends win money by gambling.
Although Paquetá did not refuse to play against Bournemouth, he made it clear that he did not want to play.
The report indicates that Paquetá finally agreed to play after senior West Ham figures intervened.
Moyes had previously indicated that he would look to replace Paquetá to minimize the chances of him getting injured, but he remained on the field for most of the match.
West Ham star Paqueta has been accused by the FA of breaking betting rules
Moyes started in Paquetá-Bournemouth, and the Brazilian played most of the game.
From the 70th minute onwards, Paqueta was seen frequently looking towards the bench, suggesting that he wanted to be substituted.
Bets on Paqueta getting yellow cards were placed from an island that bears his name 6,000 miles away.
Paqueta will remain with the Brazil team for their Copa America campaign despite being charged by the FA.