West Ham have enlisted top solicitor Nick De Marco to defend Lucas Paqueta in his bid to avoid a lifetime ban from football, according to The Sun. De Marco, who recently helped Leicester City escape a points deduction, is now working to clear Paqueta of four allegations of spot-fixing.
This development comes after reports surfaced yesterday that the Football Association (FA) has added two more charges to Paqueta’s case. These new allegations accuse the Brazilian midfielder of obstructing the investigation by failing to submit his mobile phone to FA investigators on two occasions, claiming it had been lost.
The FA is reportedly aiming for a lifetime ban for Paqueta, with a hearing scheduled for March next year. The original charges focus on suspicious betting patterns tied to yellow cards Paqueta received while playing for West Ham.
57 year old De Marco has been labelled ‘The very best’ and has scored victories over the football authorities with in a number of cases, most famously with Newcastle United and Leicester City.
