Lucas Paqueta criticised the FA for a lack of support after receiving a ‘ridiculous’ red card for dissent during his team’s 2-0 Premier League defeat to Liverpool.
West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta has admitted his dismissal against Liverpool was “ridiculous behaviour” but used the moment to strongly criticize the lack of support he received during a two-year investigation into allegations of spot-fixing.
According to a report from the Liverpool Echo, the Brazilian was sent off with six minutes remaining during the Premier League fixture at the London Stadium, which Liverpool won 2-0 thanks to goals from Alexander Isak (60th minute) and Cody Gakpo (injury-time).
Paqueta received two yellow cards and a subsequent red from referee Darren England for a sustained show of dissent after disagreeing with an initial foul called for a challenge on Dominik Szoboszlai.
The midfielder, who was eventually cleared of the allegations during the summer, took to social media to highlight what he believes was a shortage of support from the federation during his ordeal.
Paqueta stated: “It’s ridiculous to have your life and career affected for two years without any psychological support from the federation.
Perhaps this ridiculous behaviour is just a reflection of everything I’ve had to endure and, it seems, have to continue enduring! I’m sorry if I’m not perfect.”
West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo addressed the incident after the final whistle, noting the difficulty the team faced with the numerical disadvantage.
“It’s hard to play against a team like Liverpool with one man less,” he said. The manager added that he needed to speak to the player before offering a full assessment:
“I won’t go much further with comments, allow me to speak first to Lucas to try to understand. It’s unfair to comment without a chance to speak to him.”