Paqueta considers legal action with 'Lionel Messi of sports law' beside him

Paqueta considers legal action with ‘Lionel Messi of sports law’ beside him

Lucas Paqueta is set to be cleared of spot-fixing charges.

Paqueta, 27, has been under investigation by the FA since August 2023, before being officially charged in May 2024.

The FA were pushing for a lifetime ban for the Brazilian midfielder should he have been found guilty, but he will be able to continue playing football.

The West Ham midfielder looks set to leave the London Stadium this summer, regardless of the outcome of his case, with a return to Flamengo looking to be on the cards.

Paqueta is expected to be cleared by the FA of spot-fixing allegations (Credit: Imago)

Paqueta considers legal action against the FA

The midfielder is now debating whether to go back to the courtroom after clearing his name.

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The Sun on Sunday’s print edition (28 July, pg 58) reports that Paqueta is considering taking legal action against the FA, and could seek the help of Nick De Marco.

De Marco is known as “the Lionel Messi of sports law”, as he has caused the football authorities constant headaches in the past.

In his resume, the lawyer has saved Leicester City from facing charges for breaking financial rules in 2022/23, successfully represented Newcastle United when they challenged the Premier League’s blocking of their Saudi Arabian takeover, and reduced Ivan Toney’s betting ban to eight months.

After helping Paqueta clear his name, De Marco could help the Brazilian again as he seeks compensation for the unproven charges.

Paqueta is considering legal action against the FA (Credit: Imago)

Paqueta fee would’ve been transformative for West Ham

The potential ban on the Brazilian has had a significant impact not only on Paqueta but also on West Ham.

The Hammers were looking set to make a significant profit on the midfielder in 2023, with an £85million move to Manchester City on the cards.

Biggest West Ham sales (including add-ons) Fee Declan Rice £105m Lucas Paqueta* £85m Mohammed Kudus £55m Dimitri Payet £25.6m Carlos Tevez £25.3m Paqueta would have been West Ham’s second-most expensive departure

That fee could have been crucial for West Ham in their current rebuild, as they now look to register any profit if the ex-Flamengo man returns to Brazil.

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