Lucas Paquetá Found Not Guilty

When the Storm Passes, the Sunshine Hits Harder

We don’t often talk about what football takes from its players. Not the energy, not the time, but the peace. The mental space. The soul.

For Lucas Paquetá, that loss was profound. What began as whispers in August 2023 turned into headlines, suspensions, courtrooms, and an FA investigation that dragged on for nearly two years. The allegation? That he purposefully received yellow cards in four matches to aid illegal betting. The punishment on the table? A potential lifetime ban.

Now, it’s over.

The verdict came in on July 31, 2025: not guilty of spot-fixing. The FA couldn’t prove he was involved in any manipulation of the game. Yes, he’s been fined for failing to cooperate with the investigation (likely out of fear or legal uncertainty), but the big one, the career-ender, was dropped.

What’s left? A man standing in the wreckage of his own name, clutching the one thing football had almost stripped away: his smile.

“I’m Eager to Play Football With a Smile Again.”

That’s what Paquetá wrote in his statement after the ruling. And to anyone else, that may sound like a canned PR line.

But if you’ve watched him these past two years, watched him play through the pressure, the fear, the unspoken cloud that hovered over every touch, you know he meant it.

This wasn’t just a legal process. It was a slow public shaming, a freezing of his Manchester City dream. A two-year limbo while the world speculated, and headlines threw his character into doubt. This was the kind of thing that crushes players.

And yet, he kept playing. Kept fighting. And now, he’s still here.

Let’s Be Honest: Football Failed Him

Let’s not sugar-coat it.

The FA pursued this with the kind of drawn-out intensity we rarely see for actual corruption in the sport. This wasn’t a slam-dunk case. It relied on Paquetá getting four yellow cards, nothing unusual for a player with his physical style, and some suspicious betting patterns linked to accounts in Brazil. That’s it.

What followed was months of media leaks, cancelled transfers, national team omissions, and a career stuck in bureaucratic purgatory. The timing of the charges was cruel. They came just days after he’d agreed terms with Manchester City. That £85m deal evaporated overnight. And the stain remained.

Even though he kept playing for West Ham, something was different. He looked weighed down. How could he not?

This is where football has to ask itself: when we prosecute players in the court of public opinion before there’s proof, what are we actually protecting?

The Yellow Cards That Nearly Ended Everything

Let’s break it down.

Paquetá was accused of intentionally earning yellow cards in games against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds, and Bournemouth. The FA believed bets were placed on those bookings by Brazilian accounts connected to his hometown.

Now, yes, Paquetá can be rash. He’s a flair player, but he’s fiery. Always has been. And yet, these were the cards that supposedly pointed to deliberate manipulation?

David Moyes, his then-manager, testified that Paquetá was “hot-headed” and “emotional,” not calculated. In fact, Paquetá had even asked not to play in the Bournemouth match to avoid risk before the City move. That alone should’ve rung bells about his intentions.

But once a narrative starts rolling in football, it’s almost impossible to stop it.

The Toll It Took and the Support That Held

Paquetá’s been through more than most fans know.

He was pulled from the Brazilian squad and dragged through hearings, and lost a career-defining move. And in all this, there were only a few constants.

West Ham stood by him. That matters. Not every club does that. Not every manager has the patience or belief. But the Hammers backed him through every low.

And the fans? They never turned. If anything, Paquetá became a sort of reluctant symbol of injustice, a player accused, but not condemned.

It’s no surprise that when the news dropped that he was cleared, the reaction across social media wasn’t relief; it was joy. Relief belongs to him. The joy? That’s ours, for getting our Lucas Paquetá back.

What Comes Next?

Now that the shadow is gone, the questions begin again.

Will he stay at West Ham?

Reports say the club may finally be open to selling him for around £30 million, less than half of what City were once willing to pay. Flamengo have already shown interest. European clubs will follow.

Will he get a second shot at that top-tier move?

It depends on how he plays now that the shackles are off. It also depends on how forgiving the market is. Football may love a redemption arc, but it has a short memory and a fickle heart.

What’s clear is that Paquetá has something to prove not to the critics, but to himself. He was never a player short on swagger. Now, that swagger has purpose again.

The Smile Is a Statement

The phrase “play with a smile” sounds quaint in the brutal world of modern football. But for Paquetá, it’s an act of rebellion.

It says: You didn’t break me.
It says: I’m more than your headlines.
It says: I survived.

The pressure cooker has cooled. The transfer rumours will swirl again. And the next time he steps onto the pitch, whether in claret and blue, or something new every pass, every dribble, every no-look flick will be a message:

I’m still here. And I’m still dancing.

Final Word: He Deserves More Than Just Closure

Football loves to romanticize suffering. Comebacks are celebrated only after players have been dragged through hell. But what if we didn’t need to break them first?

Lucas Paquetá shouldn’t have had to “clear his name” in the court of public opinion before the facts were known. But he did. And he did it with grace, patience, and a spine of steel.

So when he talks about smiling again, take it seriously.

He’s not smiling for us.

He’s smiling despite us.

And that’s precisely the kind of energy football needs right now.

⚽ What Do You Think?

Did the FA unfairly treat Lucas Paquetá? Do you believe players should be protected more during investigations? Drop your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe for more unapologetically honest takes on the human side of the beautiful game.