Author: Soorya G
Premier League champions Manchester City’s interest in West Ham star Lucas Pacqueta was reportedly halted after the Brazilian was accused of breaching betting restrictions. An investigation is due to be launched against the former Olympique Lyonnais player over the allegations and, with so much uncertainty over his availability, the European champions have decided to end their efforts to bring Pacqueta to the Etihad Stadium.
The allegations made against the former Lyon player relate in particular to a series of high-value bets made in relation to receiving yellow cards. The bets that are the subject of the imminent investigation are said to have been initiated in Brazil, the player’s home country, and as there are suspicions of a possible link to betting, FIFA will also oversee the investigation if the reports are true.
Soccer’s governing bodies began to take notice of the potential threat of gambling and drew up strict rules to prohibit players’ involvement in the gambling sector in any capacity. In addition, breaches of the code have been dealt with severely, with the most recent sanction being imposed on Brentford striker Ivan Toney. The England international was found to have breached gambling restrictions on a total of 232 occasions and, although there was no evidence of suspected match-fixing or any other similar activity, the striker was banned from competitive soccer for eight months.
So it remains to be seen what the investigation into the Pacqueta case will produce. The interim coach of the Brazilian national team, Fernando Diniz, has also decided to withdraw the West Ham No10 from his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in order to “give him time to sort out his problems”.
“I’m the guy who’s kept me away from the truth all my life. The package has been specified. He’s a player I really like. It’s a matter of conservation, allowing him to deal with problems that are outside the scope of the game. Make the solution more convenient. We’ve had these problems here in Brazil. To clarify the situation, the time factor is needed. He’s a player I love, even though we’ve never worked together. The doors of the CBF will be open to him as soon as he positively resolves these last-minute issues we’ve had” said the coach.
After Kevin de Bruyne picked up an injury in the Cityzens’ first Premier League game against Burnley, the title holders decided to increase their interest in Pacqueta and were willing to offer up to 90 million to secure his services. However, after the investigation came to light, Guardiola’s team gave up on the plan and are instead looking for Jeremy Doku.