Why Lucas Paqueta will miss West Ham match against Leicester City in December

Lucas Paqueta is set to miss West Ham’s trip to Leicester City next month as he prepares to appear before a betting investigation in the Brazilian parliament, according to the Evening Standard.

The 27-year-old was scheduled to give evidence in São Paulo this week to the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) on the Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting.

However, his legal team successfully secured a postponement.

On Wednesday, the CPI confirmed that Paqueta must now testify to senators on December 3 as part of their investigation into illegal betting in Brazil.

This new date coincides with West Ham’s match against newly promoted Leicester City, and it is understood that Lucas Paqueta will miss the game to fulfill his obligations in Brazil, although the date of his appearance could be subject to further changes.

He has featured in all 11 of West Ham’s matches across all competitions this season and is expected to play in the Hammers’ away game against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Paquetá was charged by the Football Association in May for alleged breaches of FA Rules E5 and F3, specifically related to spot-fixing by deliberately getting himself booked in four Premier League matches.

He is also under investigation in Brazil but maintains his innocence. In July, West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui acknowledged that the midfielder was “struggling” in the wake of the charges.

Last month, Paqueta wrote publicly on X (formerly Twitter): “I have instructed my lawyers to write to the FA to request that they conduct a thorough investigation into how information about the case, even if inaccurate, is finding its way into the public domain.”

Bruno Tolentino, the uncle of Lucas Paquetá, appeared before the CPI on Wednesday and is currently under investigation in Brazil.

He admitted to paying former Real Betis forward Luiz Henrique £5,000 just days after Henrique received two suspicious yellow cards, which prompted an investigation in Spain.

Both Tolentino and Henrique deny any wrongdoing.

The cases involving Tolentino and Paqueta were reported to the authorities by Betway, the online gambling firm that sponsors West Ham’s front-of-shirt.

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