West Ham star Lucas Paqueta was visibly emotional and appeared to cry after receiving a yellow card during a recent match. This occurred as he continues to fight serious spot-fixing allegations.
West Ham manager Graham Potter suggested Paqueta`s strong reaction was simply due to frustration over the booking.
Paqueta was seen wiping away tears after being booked for a challenge on Tottenham substitute Mikey Moore. He was consoled on the pitch by teammate Jarrod Bowen and referee Michael Oliver.
Further signs of his emotional state were evident when the former Lyon player was substituted in the 80th minute, just seven minutes after receiving the yellow card.
The Brazilian midfielder has been under the shadow of four spot-fixing charges throughout the entire season.
Paqueta maintains his innocence and denies all charges. His disciplinary hearing started during the March international break but is currently on hold and is not expected to resume until June.
These serious allegations emerged when he was reportedly close to an £85 million transfer move to Manchester City.
He is accused of deliberately seeking yellow cards in four different matches. Suspicious betting patterns were allegedly detected across multiple companies, reportedly traced back to Paqueta Island in Brazil, his birthplace.
Manager Graham Potter commented on the incident, saying: “He`s just a player that`s trying his absolute best and wants the situation to be better and probably got a bit frustrated with the action. Then you see a human being, not perfect.”
Potter added, “But I love Lucas, he`s given everything and in the difficult circumstances he`s in as well. He`s given everything and he`s absolutely fine now.”
West Ham`s recent form has been poor, with the team currently on an eight-game winless streak, having gained only 14 points in the 15 games since Potter took charge.
Potter also spoke about the team`s performance: “It`s a solid performance without being amazing but certainly from where we are I was happy with lots of it. They scored against the run of play, it was a mistake.”
He concluded, “Then because of the moment we were having in terms of results, it can be a tough situation for us. But credit to the players, credit to the supporters, we stuck together and carried on.”
Following the match, Paqueta`s wife, Duda Fournier, posted a message on Instagram defending her husband.
In her Instagram Story, she wrote about her husband`s strength throughout the “nightmare” of the past two years. She insisted, “There`s NOTHING against him,” and criticized those who are “mean and unfair, without knowing ANYTHING!” while urging for people to show him respect.
