West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been warned about his behaviour but will avoid an extended ban from the Football Association for his reaction to being sent off against Liverpool.
The 28-year-old was shown two yellow cards in quick succession for dissent by referee Darren England during West Ham’s 2-0 home defeat on Sunday. The punishment was imposed for persistently arguing over a decision to award a foul against his team.
Before leaving the field, the Brazilian continued to argue with officials and sarcastically applauded England’s decision.
“As guidance, we’ve issued West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta with a warning and reminder of his responsibilities for the on-field incident that followed his red card at the Premier League fixture against Liverpool on Sunday, 30 November,” said the FA.
Paqueta will serve a ban for his dismissal, ruling him out of Thursday’s game at Manchester United, but the FA said it “won’t be taking any further action”.
After the defeat at Anfield, Paqueta said his actions were a “reflection of everything I have had to endure” – a reference to an investigation into spot-fixing charges which was brought against him by the FA in 2024.
Paqueta was cleared of the charges by an independent regulatory commission in July this year.
He had been charged in May 2024 for allegedly getting booked deliberately “for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market”.
Paqueta was facing a lifetime ban from football had he been found guilty, but the regulatory commission found the four charges against him to be “not proven”.
He was reprimanded and warned about his future conduct after failing to comply with the investigation.
Paqueta was only returning from a one-match suspension on Sunday after accumulating five yellow cards in the league – meaning he sat out the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth.
After the defeat by Liverpool, West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo said Paqueta continued to be affected by the investigation and charges, despite being cleared.
“I think it [the investigation] is affecting him, but he is willing to move forward, to try and put this aside and continue to play football in the way that he does,” Nuno said.
When Paqueta was cleared of the charges, his lawyer told the BBC the player was “very emotional and very delighted” and has “an enormous weight off his chest”.
Paqueta’s wife has previously said they had “been living this nightmare for two years”.