West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta will find out in March next year whether he will be banned for alleged spot-fixing, according to The Sun.

The FA have charged him with deliberately getting yellow cards in four separate games whilst playing for the Hammers.

Paqueta picked up bookings against Leicester City, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth, with unusual betting patterns being discovered in his native country of Brazil.

In addition to 4 charges relating to those incidents, the midfielder has received two further charges from the FA for refusing to comply with the investigation.

The Sun report that, if found guilty, Paqueta could face a “lifetime ban” from the sport.

What have West Ham had to say about the matter?

The Hammers have given the player their full backing. Manager Julen Lopetegui has not spoken directly about the issue but he has talked about how both the player and the club are trying to focus on football:

“We don’t talk about this, we talk about football. The next match and about life but not about this.”

With the hearing taking place during the season, though, there is a good chance that Paqueta won’t be available for selection for one or more games near the start of next year.

Has Paqueta’s form been affected?

There is no doubt that, since the allegations were made, the 27-year-old has found it difficult to play his best football. That may not only be due to the charges, though.

Manchester City were interested in buying Paqueta but they soon withdrew their interest once the seriousness of the allegations became clear.

The Brazilian did, however, get off the mark against Ipswich Town at the weekend, scoring his first goal of the season, and fans will be hoping that he can produce more performances like that after the international break.

Find out who is in West Ham’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here