Lucas Paqueta has been told he will either be banned or acquitted when the verdict on his spot-fixing trial is finally announced next month.
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Paqueta awaiting verdict on trialCould be hit with life-time banDecision expected in JuneFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The Brazil star has been charged by the Football Association over allegedly breaching betting rules and picking up bookings intentionally for financial gain. Ahead of that decision, Paqueta has been told to expect only two outcomes. According to journalist Fred Caldeira from TNT Sports Brasil, Paqueta will either be acquitted or will be hit with a ban. There is no option for a suspension and a verdict should be heard in the first half of June.
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If he is found guilty, Paqueta is expected to be handed a lifetime ban from football. The strain of the situation has shown recently, with Paqueta left in tears after being booked during West Ham's draw with Tottenham. The West Ham star's wife, Maria Eduarda Fournier, spoke out afterwards about how Paqueta has been "living this nightmare for two years" as he waits to discover his fate.
WHAT HAS BEEN SAID
West Ham boss Graham Potter also spoke about Paqueta's tears after the Tottenham clash. He told reporters: "I think 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. And then you see a human being, not perfect, but I love Lucas. He's given everything and in difficult circumstances, he's in as well. He's given everything and he's absolutely fine now."
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Paqueta will finish the season with West Ham and must then wait to discover the verdict from the trial. West Ham's final game of the season is against Ipswich on May 25.
