‘A reflection of what I’ve endured’ – Paqueta on red card

Lucas Paqueta, a West Ham midfielder, claims that his “ridiculous behavior” that caused Liverpool to send him a 2-0 defeat was “a reflection of everything I’ve had to endure.”

The Brazil midfielder was the subject of a nearly two-year investigation by the Football Association when an independent regulatory commission found him innocent of spot-fixing allegations in July.

Referee Darren England sent Paqueta two yellow cards in a row for dissent on Sunday after they had an argument over whether to call a foul on his team with six minutes to go.

Following the game, Paqueta responded to a postquoting former Hammers goalkeeper Rob Green’s commentary on X, which called the red card “ridiculous behavior.”

Paqueta apologized to his team-mates and the club’s supporters, saying, “It’s ridiculous to have your life and career affected for two years without any psychological support from the federation.”

“Perhaps this ridiculous behavior is just a reflection of everything I’ve had to endure, and it seems that will continue to do so!”

I’m sorry if I’m imperfect.

After missing the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth last weekend, the 28-year-old was only returning from a one-game suspension on Sunday after accumulating five yellow cards in the league.

It’s difficult to live with everything that was done to me and my psyche, he wrote in Portuguese. “I understand that now I have to come across as the villain.

I’ll keep attempting to prevent them from having an even greater impact on me. I apologize to the fans and my teammates because this doesn’t support my expulsion.

The 27-year-old was charged in May of last year for allegedly getting booked “consensually” for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market, despite the FA’s investigation having begun in August 2023.

If found guilty, Paqueta could receive a lifetime ban.

Following a hearing, the regulatory commission found that Paqueta’s four charges were “not proven,” but he was reprimanded and warned about his future conduct for failing to follow the allegations’ investigation.

Nuno Espirito Santo, West Ham manager, said, “I’m not going to comment too much after the game.”

“First of all, I’m going to try to understand Lucas’ frustrations and behavior,” I said.

In his first season with the Hammers, Paqueta helped the team claim the Europa Conference League title from Lyon when he left in August 2022.