West Ham United Football Club is facing a serious challenge regarding its Brazilian midfielder Paqueta and the club side has made it clear that it will take legal action to defend the player's rights. According to the Daily Mail, West Ham United is considering filing a lawsuit against the Football Association of England over Paqueta's possible lifetime ban from playing soccer.
Paqueta is currently being charged with deliberately receiving yellow cards in four Premier League matches, which include fixtures against Leicester City, Aston Villa, Leeds United and Bournemouth. If these allegations are confirmed by the FA, Paqueta will face the harshest punishment of his career - a lifetime ban. However, Paqueta himself has vehemently denied the allegations and insisted that his behavior during the matches was entirely motivated by professionalism and the rules of the game.
Paqueta remains eligible to play for West Ham United until the dust of the disciplinary process is finally settled. The club, for its part, is fully supportive of this and firmly believes in the player's innocence. To further protect the player's rights, West Ham United are even considering taking the matter to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport to stop the FA from pursuing the case.
The Sun further states that West Ham United have challenged the FA's jurisdiction over the matter, mainly on the basis that the suspicious betting practices involving Paqueta's ban actually took place in Brazil, not England. The club believes that this geographical difference makes the FA's handling of the case potentially legally flawed.
In addition, West Ham United emphasized that it is extremely unreasonable to deprive a young and talented player of his career on a charge of match-fixing. They called on the relevant authorities to hear the case fairly and objectively to ensure that Paqueta's rights are fully protected.
