Overview

• The judgment calls the FA’s use of an in-house betting investigator an “obvious flaw” and highlights that the FA’s lead counsel contradicted its own main witness on whether the betting was orchestrated.
• Betting data covering 253 bettors staking about £47,000 for profits near £167,000 was deemed inconsistent with a spot-fix, with the panel pointing to “hot tips” spreading informally, including chatter from a Rio hair salon.
• Searches of two seized phones found no betting-related messages tied to the four matches, and more than 300 recovered deletions were attributed to auto-disappearing settings rather than deliberate wiping.
• Former West Ham manager David Moyes and ex-referee Mark Clattenburg persuaded the panel that the cautions were within Paquetá’s normal play, while the independence of a Stats Perform witness was questioned.
• Two non-cooperation breaches still await sanction, with reports indicating a likely fine rather than a ban, and unresolved issues include whether the FA covers the player’s reported £1m legal costs and fallout from a 2023 transfer that collapsed during the investigation.