West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta has apologized for receiving a red card against Liverpool, but issued a furious statement accusing the Football Association of lacking “psychological support”.
In the 84th minute, with West Ham still playing and losing 1-0, Paqueta got into an altercation with referee Darren England and received two bookings in quick succession.
The Brazilian refused to be separated by his West Ham team-mates and even his Liverpool compatriot Alisson, and continued to argue with the referee, ultimately earning him a second yellow card in a 2-0 defeat.
Paqueta was cleared of spot match-fixing charges in August following an investigation by the FA, but he had just returned from a one-match suspension for accumulating five yellow cards this season.
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Watch Lucas Paqueta get sent off after receiving two yellows for dissent
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Free to watch: Highlights of the Premier League match between West Ham and Liverpool
Responding to X’s comments on the Sky Sports video of the incident, where commentator Rob Green called his reaction “ridiculous”, Paqueta said: “It’s ridiculous to have it affect your life and career for two years without any psychological support from the federation.”
“Perhaps this ridiculous behavior (sic) is just a reflection of everything I’ve had to endure and apparently continue to endure! Sorry if it’s not perfect.”
Paqueta later apologized to West Ham for his actions in a separate post for X.
He said: “I understand that I have to be seen as the bad guy right now. It’s hard to accept and live with all the things that have been caused to my life and my psyche! I will continue to try to prevent them from affecting me any further. This does not justify my expulsion. That’s why I apologize to my fans and teammates!”
Sky Sports News has contacted the FA for comment.
Nuno Espirito Santo refused to talk about Paqueta’s red card immediately after the match and wanted to first seek clarity from the player before commenting.
Nuno said: “I want to talk to him first and try to understand. It would be unfair to comment without talking to him.”
“It’s difficult to play with one man less against Liverpool.”
Paqueta was cleared of spot match-fixing, which he denied, following an FA investigation into four incidents in which he received yellow cards.
The Brazil international was accused of spot match-fixing in four Premier League games – against Leicester City in November 2022, Aston Villa in March 2023, Leeds United in May 2023 and Bournemouth last August.
“Since day one of this investigation, I have maintained my innocence to these extremely serious charges,” Paqueta said after his acquittal.
