Friends who grew up with Lucas Paqueta insist he is innocent as West Ham star faces ten-year ban if found guilty of spot-fixing

West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta is facing a ten-year ban if he is found guilty of illegal spot-fixing while playing in the Premier League. However, Paqueta's friends who grew up with him have insisted that he is innocent.

The midfielder allegedly picked up yellow cards against Leicester City, Aston Villa, Leeds, and Bournemouth over the last two years, in order to gain off the betting market.

While the situation has taken the front pages of the West Ham midfielder's current media attention, his friends in Brazil, where he grew up, disagree with the allegations. They believe he is innocent of the charges, as one friend explained to the Daily Mail:

"He achieved this with a lot of sacrifices with his grandfather, mother, father, and uncles. His conduct is very good. I wish him good luck and hope everything is confirmed so that he is acquitted and brings joy to the Brazilian people, especially from Paqueta."

A childhood friend of the midfielder named Manuel Eduardo said:

"Lucas Paqueta is innocent until proven otherwise. I know his character, I know his family, I've met everyone in his family and he has never had these problems. He trained with me every day not long ago at the municipal football club on the other side of the island."

He added:

"His family has always been of good character, good honest people who helped Paqueta. And he always puts the name of Paqueta ahead of everything, that's why he kept this name."

Another person named Victor Castro said:

"It's not his profile, it's not his character. Regarding the punishment, I think it's very severe considering his age in football now, which is a short career. I want him to get out of this as soon as possible. We need him. Brazilian football needs him."

A fourth friend named Mauro Nunes said:

"He's a relative of my wife - his father is my wife's cousin. I know he's a serious guy, dedicated to training... I don't believe in this. I think this is some setup by clubs trying to devalue the kid."

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Lucas Paqueta's career hangs in the balance amid spot-fixing allegations

Lucas Paqueta has been a regular and important player for the Hammers in recent years. The last two seasons have seen him feature at least 28 times in the Premier League each, as he helped the Hammers enter the Europa League, where they lost to Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-finals.

His impressive performances with West Ham garnered attention across the board, leading to growing reports about a potential big move to Premier League champions Manchester City. However, these rumors have taken the backseat, as the 26-year-old Brazilian international has been accused by the FA of spot-fixing.

Time will tell if the midfielder Lucas Paqueta will be banned from football for ten years, which will most likely end his career, as he is already 26.