Vesper

West Ham United https://thedailybriefing.io/i/169944766/west-ham-united West Ham have agreed to sign Callum Wilson on a free transfer. The 33-year-old striker joins on a one-year deal after leaving Newcastle, with a salary based heavily on performance bonuses. Medical already completed.

in quantum gravity (not field) theory, you can find even shorter increments of time than one unit of Planck time we can go into a gravitational singularity inside a black hole to find this out for ourselves (and learn more about dark matter, dark energy, etc) maybe, if certain positings of string theory are true, we will get compactified into a Calabi–Yau manifold lol come on! it will be fun!

IF we did buy Fofana and not Garnacho, surely it is for the first team now our LWers would be Gittens and Fofana (Tyrique would very likely be loaned out or maybe even sold with a buyback) I can so live with that

true but the simple maths of '50 per cent less distance each day will still never yield reaching the goal of contact' will not change

https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/31/banning_vpns_to_protect_kids/ https://www.pcgamesn.com/vpn/ban

"People enjoy knowing that they are suffering" This should put to bed the idea Israelis just don't know about Palestinian suffering. They know and many celebrate it. The dehumanization of Palestinians is so deep. One of Israel’s most popular podcasts:

https://football-talk.co.uk/219524/Chelsea-looking-to-trump-evertons-move-for-malick-fofana/ Chelsea are looking to trump Everton to sign highly-rated Lyon forward Malick Fofana this summer, according to Nizaar Kinsella. The 20-year-old has been a joy to watch since moving to France from Gent in January 2024. He lit up Ligue 1 last season with jaw-dropping performances for Paulo Fonseca’s side and was key to their European qualification. He recorded 17 goal contributions across all competitions, including six goals and two assists in just ten games in the Europa League last season, a testament that he can replicate his domestic performances on the European stage. He has been linked with a move to England, with Everton reportedly at ‘advanced stages’, but it appears that the move has now stalled as Lyon will likely demand more than his £26m Transfermarkt valuation. According to Kinsella, the Toffees have been heavily linked with the Belgian whiz kid but ‘struggled’ to convince him to join the Merseyside outfit this summer. Everton could be usurped in the race for the forward, as the journalist claims that Chelsea are one of several other Premier League clubs showing a keen interest in Fofana. However, the Blues also hold a ‘strong interest’ in Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho, according to the report, so it’ll be intriguing to see if the club prioritises one forward or swoops for both. Swoop With tensions with Ruben Amorim persisting, Garnacho looks more likely to depart Old Trafford this summer. The Argentine international is reportedly keen on joining Enzo Maresca’s attack and is being viewed as a potential left-wing option alongside Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. While Chelsea have actively reinforced their forward options in the ongoing transfer windows, a choice between Garnacho and Fofana, who are similarly profiled players, seems inevitable. Fofana, without a doubt, fits the mould of a winger Maresca needs due to his 1v1 ability and potential to become an even better player in time. However, at present, Garnacho, who has significant Premier League experience, appears to be the more attainable target, mainly due to reduced competition for his services and the Blues’ openly declared admiration. Nevertheless, the club are in no hurry to finalise a move, choosing instead to prioritise departures before proceeding with any major incomings.

Real reason Chelsea want to sign Alejandro Garnacho from Man United It has been explained why Chelsea want to sign Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United this summer. https://theprideoflondon.com/real-reason-Chelsea-want-alejandro-garnacho-man-united When Chelsea completed the signing of Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund earlier this summer, most people assumed that that would mean the end of their interest in signing Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United. But the Argentine international continues to be linked with a move away to Stamford Bridge. In fact, claims have emerged in recent days that Chelsea are expected to make a transfer bid to sign Garnacho later in this summer window. Of course, that could help them bring the fee down while the Argentine is believed to be waiting for the Blues to make their move, despite having offers from other teams in Europe. The links with Garnacho has divided the opinion of Chelsea fans. Why do the club want to sign the controversial Manchester United winger, despite bringing in Gittens already? That was the question Bobby Vincent of Football London was asked during a Q&A session on the website recently. The journalist cleared up the situation regarding Chelsea's interest in Garnacho and the reason behind it. Why Chelsea want to sign Garnacho from Manchester United despite having Gittens Vincent explained that Chelsea want two players for each position. Signing someone like Garnacho would allow Tyrique George to move on loan, something that has been talked about in recent weeks. Gittens and the Argentine would be the options on the left. To be honest, Chelsea are light on options on the left. Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke have left this summer while Mykhailo Mudryk remains suspended and it is unclear when he will return to football. Pedro Neto has played there in the past but it is not the ideal fit and his chances of scoring goals is far higher on the other flank. If Xavi Simons is signed, he would most probably be viewed as a number 10. Of course, a move for someone like Garnacho does make sense if that is the thought process. It is a good opportunity as well. He could potentially be available for a transfer fee in the region of £40 million. Perhaps even lower later in the window because Manchester United almost have no other choice but to part ways with him this summer. Garnacho's stock is at an all-time low right now. But one cannot forget that not too long ago, he was being tipped to become one of the best players in the world and linked with a move to Real Madrid. • Armando Broja transfer fee could be much higher than Chelsea fans thought • Real Madrid reportedly want to sign €50m Chelsea player

Chelsea Willing to Lower Asking Price on 15 Goal Scorer Linked to Man Utd, PSG https://psgtalk.com/2025/08/Chelsea-lower-nkunku-price-man-utd-psg/ Manchester United and PSG have been linked as potential destinations for Christopher Nkunku, whose future at Chelsea appears increasingly uncertain after a difficult spell in London. Nkunku joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig in 2023 in a £52 million deal, but injuries and strong competition have limited his impact. As doubts over his role grow, transfer speculation is starting to build. Journalist Ben Jacobs previously reported that PSG considered a reunion with Nkunku earlier this year but ultimately decided not to move forward. Bayern Munich also explored a January move, though Christian Falk of Sport Bild noted before the summer window opened that the German club could revisit that interest this summer. Chelsea are reportedly open to selling if the right offer comes in, hoping to recoup a significant portion of their initial outlay. For many, the deal is already being viewed as an expensive misstep. What’s the latest on Chelsea outcast amid Man Utd, PSG links TEAMtalk reported Saturday that Chelsea are open to selling and may drop their asking price to around €45 million as they look to trim their wage bill. The report also notes that Nkunku, who scored 15 goals in 48 total appearances this past season, is believed to be the club’s fourth-highest-paid player. Inter could look to explore a loan deal or other flexible options—something they’re always keeping an eye on. Last month, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported that Nkunku’s exit from Chelsea this summer seems almost inevitable. The information reveals that the Frenchman is looking for more playing time, and several top clubs have shown interest behind the scenes. Chelsea have been open to selling him since January, so more talks are expected soon. In July, L’Équipe reported that Nkunku is expected to cost between €35 million and €40 million this summer. Bayern Munich are among the few clubs Nkunku would be open to joining, but there haven’t been any concrete talks yet. Manchester United and Inter Milan have recently made inquiries, while Bayern Munich remain interested. However, they are currently focused on other priorities.

Guardiola wanted a smaller squad. Instead it’s grown. How can Man City trim it? https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6526978/2025/08/01/manchester-city-squad-guardiola-trim/ It has been 73 days since Pep Guardiola said he would quit Manchester City if he did not have a smaller squad next season. That was in May, after a comfortable win at home against Bournemouth, when his lip quivered after committing what he views as the heinous act of leaving four senior players festering at home. Joking or not, he might have to leave a dozen at home for the opening match against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Two weeks out from the start of the new Premier League season, the mission to condense the squad still needs work. Rather than trim, City have made a net addition of two first-team players this summer. Sometimes, taking two steps forward and one step back is the way to progress. That is certainly how City will view it, having acted rapidly to acquire their main targets before the Club World Cup. Buying before selling has the benefit that other clubs cannot hold them to ransom, knowing there is money burning a hole in their pocket. But signing James Trafford, Marcus Bettinelli, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki means Guardiola has 31 players. While there has been a conscious effort to reduce the squad’s average age and wage bill, it is an expensive squad to run, with several players surplus to requirements and others seemingly having little chance of regular minutes. Here is The Athletic’s assessment of the situation… What You Should Read Next James McAtee’s Manchester City career is symptomatic of modern academy football McAtee is likely to leave but City won't be making the mistake they did with Cole Palmer. PSR has changed approaches to academy products What needs to be done? City had the luxury of two leading men for part of this summer. New sporting director Hugo Viana, almost four months into his role since joining from Sporting CP, was being supported by director of football Txiki Begiristain as part of a transition, but he ended his 13-year spell this week. Viana will continue to be aided by Carlos Raphael Moersen, who is director of football transactions at City Football Group (CFG, the club’s overarching owner) and has been helping lead some negotiations with prospective buyers this summer. City have brought in some money — Kyle Walker has moved to Burnley for a fee that could reach £5million ($6.6m), Maximo Perrone’s switch to Como is worth €15million (£13m; $17m) and €24m has arrived after Yan Couto’s loan deal at Borussia Dortmund was made permanent. But to get numbers down, established players will have to leave soon. Finding permanent takers for Kalvin Phillips, given the financial package of a fee plus wages, has been tricky. Jack Grealish and James McAtee are expected to leave too. Kalvin Phillips was on loan at relegated Ipswich Town last season (Alex Davidson/Getty Images) The fourth expected exit is goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, as City now have four senior goalkeepers following Trafford’s arrival. City want Ederson to stay until the end of his contract next year and are open to selling Ortega, who also has a year left on his deal and wants to play regularly as he looks to break into Germany’s squad for the World Cup next summer. Then there is the possibility of allowing younger players to go out on loan. Sverre Nypan, the 18-year-old who joined from Rosenborg for £12.5million, will go out on loan as part of a development plan but a prospective move to Ajax is thought to no longer be on the cards. La Liga club Girona, part of the CFG network, are keen on loaning Vitor Reis and Claudio Echeverri. A year in Spain represents a good development opportunity for Reis, who is 19 and joined the club in January from Palmeiras for £29.5million. He is highly rated internally but showed in his second start for City against Wydad at the Club World Cup that there are parts of his game that need work. Echeverri is also 19 but represents a different case. Guardiola is a huge admirer and saw fit to bring Echeverri on for his debut in the FA Cup final just months after arriving from Argentina. Girona would love to have him, while Roma have made a case for a year in Italy, but City are deliberating whether it would be better to keep him in-house to learn from the manager and other forwards such as Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush. Oscar Bobb is very likely to stay, with the 22-year-old winger impressing Guardiola last summer before a fractured leg ruined his season. Nico O’Reilly faces a fight for minutes due to the arrival of Ait-Nouri at left-back, where he impressed last season. The plan is for O’Reilly, 20, to stay, as he can also operate in his more natural midfielder role. McAtee is more established but his role last season was largely restricted to substitute cameos. Nottingham Forest have been discussing a fee of around £25million for him but Viana wants more. Eintracht Frankfurt, who McAtee visited last month, view these sums as out of their league. In defence, City are overstocked, with 10 players across the back four, leading to speculation that one or two could depart. John Stones was not given a single minute at the Club World Cup despite fully recovering from an injury-ravaged season. The England centre-back, who has a year left on his deal, said during the Club World Cup that he did not want to leave and there is no prospect of him departing this summer. Manuel Akanji and Abdukodir Khusanov are two others with a point to prove. Khusanov, 21, barely featured in the final few months of the season after joining from Nice in January, but no approaches have been made. In midfield, there is an argument that City are also overstocked. It remains to be seen how quickly Rodri can regain form after his anterior cruciate ligament injury, so the cover provided by Nico Gonzalez and Mateo Kovacic could be important. Tijjani Reijnders can also drop back to play as the deeper No 6. Tijjani Reijnders was one of City’s summer additions (Kevin C Cox/Getty Images) Could City face an issue registering players? Premier League clubs will have to register their official 25-man squad after the transfer window closes on September 1. They can only name a maximum of 17 non-homegrown senior players, with the rest of the squad comprising ‘homegrown players’ — those who have trained at an English club for three seasons (or 36) months between the ages of 15 and 21, regardless of nationality. City have 17 non-homegrown players above the age of 21 and nine homegrown players above the age of 21. That is only one too many, a situation aided by the Premier League rule that dictates under-21 players, those born after January 1, 2004, do not take up spaces in the 25-man squad. Rico Lewis, Khusanov, Reis, O’Reilly, Savinho and Echeverri all fall into that category, although 22-year-old Bobb becomes a senior homegrown player for the first time. There are different rules in the Champions League, so if City do not loan or sell anyone else, they would have to leave four non-homegrown players out in the cold. UEFA’s ‘A list’ does not offer the same blanket exclusion for under-21 players. They have to be under-21 and homegrown, which means Khusanov, Reis, Savinho and Echeverri all require a space, unlike in the Premier League. Eight spaces are exclusively reserved for locally trained players, with no more than four of that total made up of association-trained players reared at other English clubs. Even if Grealish, Phillips and McAtee all leave, that will not be an issue for City, with Trafford, O’Reilly, Lewis, Bobb and Foden all club-trained, and Betinelli, Stones and Ake all association-trained. It is another reason the two goalkeepers were recruited this summer. The risk of carrying such a bloated squad is not just regulatory, however. It is a matter of identity and contentment, too. Players at this level possess egos and pride. They want to contribute and feel like a valued member of the squad but it is difficult to achieve across an entire squad, with so many players being reduced to a spectator role. City were quick out of the blocks this window but they need to start getting a shift on if they are to satisfy Guardiola’s demand for an optimised squad.

I give up he is coming I will support him I hope he proves all us doubters to be fools he certainly has the talent dog willing he screws his head on straight London and a monster team like Chels can make one glow or make one burn here's to a glowing future for the lad

Farewell, Joao Felix: Twice a Blue but Chelsea rarely saw the best of you https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6527136/2025/08/02/joao-felix-Chelsea-goodbye-al-nassr/ No one has bothered to make a YouTube compilation of Joao Felix’s second Chelsea spell. Historically, it has never been hard to find lovingly curated footage of the Portugal international, who has plenty of online devotees and whose flashy game is particularly well suited to highlights packages. Click on one, mute the inevitably awful soundtrack, and you can expect to see sharp stepovers, neat nutmegs, flamboyant flicks and deft drops of the shoulder. Many of the clips will abruptly cut off at the precise moment when a goal or an assist might follow. (NARRATOR: it did not.) To balance out what is going to follow, it’s worth noting that my colleague Jack Lang wrote a piece this year supporting Joao Felix. As he wrote, everyone sees something different in him. Catch Up On The Story Joao Felix has become football’s Rorschach test – everyone sees something different Despite the false dawns, clubs continue to invest in Joao Felix. His Milan move offers hope that he can reignite his career in Italy But it seems not even the most die-hard Joao Felix fans had the heart to cobble together the footage of him scoring the sixth goal in a 6-2 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on his second Chelsea ‘debut’ last August, followed by perfunctory cup doubles against Panathinaikos, FC Noah and Morecambe. Even with the additional padding of assists against Barrow and Southampton, the video would struggle to break the three-minute mark. Much better to look forward with fresh hope to the next chapter of a bewildering career. Two and a half years after first arriving at Stamford Bridge from Atletico Madrid on loan, less than 12 months after signing permanently in a £44.5million transfer, and a little under six months since swapping west London for Milan on loan, Joao Felix has left Chelsea and the Premier League to join Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr in a deal worth £26.2m (€30m; $35.2m) as an upfront fee, with add-ons taking the total valuation to £43.3m (€50m; $57.2m). Joao Felix has joined Al Nassr (Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images) “Once a blue, always a blue,” he replied with a blue heart emoji to Chelsea’s post on Instagram, confirming his departure this week. Give yourself more credit, Joao, it’s twice a Blue and once of Benfica, Atletico, Barcelona (another loan) and Milan. That is five clubs (soon to be six with Al Nassr) represented in seven professional seasons, and potentially north of £200m in transfer fees generated, putting him fourth in football’s all-time cumulative list, behind Neymar, Romelu Lukaku and new club-mate Cristiano Ronaldo — all by the age of 25. No other high-profile footballer in the world has followed such a strange career arc, one that for at least two years has been leading him, circuitously but inexorably, to Saudi Arabia. “I’m here to spread joy,” he said, smouldering into the camera in his Al Nassr announcement video. “Let’s win together.” Watching him pose, stride, drape himself in a scarf and cross his arms in sultry silhouette, it is hard not to conclude that he has at least become world class at unveiling himself. The fact that the jokes about Joao Felix come so easily is a little depressing. This was the Golden Boy winner in 2019, comfortably seeing off competition from Bundesliga sensations Jadon Sancho and Kai Havertz, and an emerging monster in Salzburg called Erling Haaland, to win the prize for Europe’s best under-21 player. Atletico’s decision to pay £113m to prise him from Benfica in July of that year after one phenomenal season was patently absurd, but the notion that he could blossom into their version of Lionel Messi or Ronaldo seemed very legitimate. Six years on, Joao Felix has played 15,429 career minutes across all competitions at club level, an average of 2,204 per season. He has never started more than 21 league matches in a single campaign, and never beaten either the 15 league goals or the seven league assists that he registered for Benfica in 2018-19 as a teenager. Admittedly, he did miss 168 days of the 2021-22 season through injury, a total of around 20 games for club and country, according to Transfermarkt. As recently as January 2023, when Chelsea talked themselves into paying a €11m loan fee to bring Joao Felix to Stamford Bridge for five months in a vain attempt to save a lost season, it was still easy to be convinced that his struggles were circumstantial. He had performed well enough to be named Atletico’s player of the season in 2021-22, but maybe he was simply a poor fit there, an artist lost in Diego Simeone’s team of soldiers. His straight red card for a studs-up tackle on Kenny Tete to kneecap 58 encouragingly bright minutes on his Chelsea debut instantly became a defining tragicomic image of the worst season of the club’s modern history. It also remains by far the most memorable contribution of Joao Felix’s two spells at Stamford Bridge, and of a Premier League career that extends to just 28 appearances, 14 of which were starts. There was little in that first Chelsea stint that merited a sequel. Joao Felix showed more on loan at Barcelona in 2023-24, contributing 10 goals and five assists in 44 appearances across all competitions. Barcelona’s finances were a barrier to a permanent deal the following summer, but they still found a way to sign Dani Olmo, another attacking midfielder. Reports that Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca did not want Joao Felix last summer were denied strongly by club officials, but his selection in the first half of last season spoke volumes; the former Atletico man started only three times in the Premier League against the three promoted (and soon to be relegated) sides: Leicester City, Southampton and Ipswich Town. “It’s a shame for Joao and I would like to give him more minutes in the Premier League, but we need defensive balance and we cannot play with Joao, Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku,” Maresca said when asked about Joao Felix’s lack of league minutes in a press conference in November. “I’d like to put all of them on the pitch, but then you need to defend, and you need the right balance.” Joao Felix’s value was degraded rather than enhanced by an underwhelming loan spell at Milan and Chelsea’s decision to sell this summer, for a much lower initial price than they paid a year ago, with the potential to recoup close to the full amount after add-ons, is more of an escape than a win. Joao Felix had a tough time at Chelsea. Twice (George Wood/Getty Images) Even so, there is a sense that the move to Al Nassr might only be for the short term. Joao Felix is 25 and has signed a two-year contract, suggesting he is keeping one eye on a relatively swift return to Europe. And even if he stayed longer, Al Hilal did perform well at the Club World Cup. Saudi teams could compete for major honours in the future. He also still has plenty of fans as well as detractors within the game. Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has never hidden his admiration, creating the potential for a more satisfying third act in the Premier League. Benfica would be the destination to warm the heart above all others, but as was demonstrated this summer, modern football’s market forces generally push players away from such romantic reunions. There is no telling where Joao Felix’s career will take him next, but the YouTube compilations documenting his time at Al Nassr have already begun to surface. Two moments in particular from his first friendly appearance against Toulouse this week stand out. The first is Ronaldo running into Joao Felix at the back post as both men attempted to tap a low cross from the left into an empty net, in what felt like a friendly but firm introduction to Al Nassr’s scoring pecking order. The second was Joao Felix receiving the ball just outside his own penalty area with a stepover to his right and then a quick shift to his left, winning a free kick with the kind of high-risk, low-reward skill move that perfectly divides his fans from his critics. Al Nassr fans can expect more of that for as long as he sticks around. Hopefully, they will get some memorable, and even consequential, goals and assists too. It will take more than empty highlights to make European football fans pine for Joao Felix’s return.

Tuesday, August 24, 2004. Didier Drogba scores his first competitive Chelsea goal in a 2-0 away win over Crystal Palace, heading home Celestine Babayaro's cross. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3640853029472201

Mathematically, no. You would eventually get done to as close as the size of a single toponium particle (the smallest known composite particles), and even closer, but never actual arrive at 'done'. In their search for more flavors of Higgs bosons, a team of researchers at CERN stumbled across what could be evidence of the smallest matter-antimatter particle ever. The hypothetical particle, known as toponium, would be the result of merging a top quark and antiquark as well as the last missing example of quark-antiquark states known as quarkonium. Toponium particles, at least in theory, do not annihilate each other almost but instantly decay into a bottom quark and a W boson—one of two bosons responsible for the weak nuclear force.

de rec

I rember that horrific in-game injury 😞

90m euros is insane for him 🤠

work on a loan with no obligation to buy 🤬

no more Albanian tractor

Vladimir Jugović was a hell of a MFer Honours Red Star Belgrade Yugoslav First League: 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92 European Cup: 1990–91 Intercontinental Cup: 1991 Sampdoria Coppa Italia: 1993–94 Juventus Serie A: 1996–97 UEFA Champions League: 1995–96 Intercontinental Cup: 1996 UEFA Super Cup: 1996 Lazio Coppa Italia: 1997–98 Monaco Coupe de la Ligue: 2003 Looking back at the training content and discipline under Marcello Lippi at Juventus: "The way we were training was a thing to watch and analyse. We didn't have time to rest and we would begin our first training in the day with a 40 minute workout in the gym followed by running sessions, and that was only a warm up. In the afternoon we had a tactical training combined with football playing and the third drill was around 20:00 p.m. containing mostly stretching. So, none of our success happened by an accident, we deserved everything. I think that no club today trains as hard as we did then.

His legal team described the complaint as “attempted racketeering,” while Hakimi has filed a countersuit. His lawyer, Fanny Colin, slammed the prosecution’s latest move. 🤣

I truly prefer Rogers, Yıldız, and Rodrygo over Simons

they said £150m or piss off 🤪

Lucas Paqueta betting charges ‘found to be not proven’, commission says https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6515053/2025/07/31/lucas-paqueta-betting-case-west-ham/ Lucas Paqueta will not face punishment for alleged breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules after an independent regulatory commission found the charges against the West Ham United midfielder could not be proven. The Brazil international, who denied all charges against him, was facing a potential lifetime ban from football if found guilty. However, the regulatory commission found the most serious charges of spot fixing “to be not proven” following a hearing, it said in a statement released by the English FA on Thursday. The commission did find that two further rule breaches, effectively relating to Paqueta’s co-operation with the FA’s investigation, could be proven and “will decide an appropriate sanction for these breaches at the earliest opportunity”. These two breaches of FA Rule F3 are in relation to the Brazilian’s alleged failures to comply with his obligations to answer questions and provide information to the investigation. Paqueta has featured for West Ham in pre-season (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) In a post on Instagram, following the announcement of the commission’s ruling on Thursday, Paqueta wrote: “The enemy will come against us one way, but they will flee seven ways. “Since the first day of this investigation, I have maintained my innocence against these extremely serious accusations. “I can’t say anything more now, but I also can’t express how grateful I am to God and how eager I am to return to playing football with a smile on my face. “To my wife who never let go of my hand, to West Ham, to the fans who always cheered me on, to Fernando Malta and my legal team at Level (Alastair Campbell, Jonathan Hyman, Dan Lowen), Nick De Marco KC, and Kendrah Potts — thank you for everything.” What You Should Read Next Betting in football: what are the rules for players and supporters? The UK's betting laws are widely considered to be the most liberal in the world - so what are the rules for players and fans? The commission’s ruling brings to an end a lengthy process, which started in August 2023 and has been beset by delays. An initial hearing into the case began in March but was put on hold because lawyers on both sides had other commitments. It eventually concluded in May, with former West Ham manager David Moyes among the witnesses for Paqueta’s defence. Paqueta was charged by the Football Association with misconduct in May 2024 over four alleged breaches of the governing body’s betting rules following a 10-month investigation that began in August of the previous year. Paqueta was accused of deliberately getting yellow cards in four Premier League matches between November 2022 and August 2023. The four bookings came in games against Leicester City on November 12, 2022, Aston Villa on March 12, 2023, Leeds United on May 21, 2023, and Bournemouth on August 12, 2023. The FA alleged that Paqueta ‘directly sought to influence…these matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee, for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market in order for one or more persons to profit from betting’. He was also charged with two further rule breaches, effectively relating to his cooperation with the FA’s investigation. Paqueta denied any wrongdoing and West Ham have backed him throughout the process. He previously called on the FA to undertake a “thorough investigation” into what he called “false and misleading” reporting on the case, claiming information had been leaked by “an individual close to the case”. West Ham United vice-chair Karren Brady said on Thursday: “We are pleased Lucas has been cleared. He has maintained his innocence from the outset, and as a club we have resolutely stood by him and supported him throughout the process. “Despite the incredible pressure on him, Lucas has performed week in and week out for the club, always giving everything. “It has been a difficult time for Lucas and his family, but he has remained absolutely professional throughout and he is now looking forward to drawing a line under this episode, as is everyone at West Ham United.” Manchester City were interested in signing Paqueta, who has a contract until summer 2027 with the option of a further year, two summers ago but the FA’s investigation ended the then-Premier League champions pursuit of the player. In May, West Ham head coach Graham Potter revealed the investigation had taken its toll on Paqueta mentally and physically. He was left in tears after being booked against Tottenham Hotspur on May 4, and Paqueta’s wife, Maria Fournier, later posted on Instagram that they had “been living this nightmare for two years”. Paqueta, after being booked in the 1-1 draw with Tottenham at London Stadium on May 4 (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) Paqueta’s case is the latest involving breaches of football’s gambling regulations in recent years. England international Ivan Toney — then of Brentford — was banned from football for eight months in May 2023, while Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali was suspended from all football activity for 10 months following a similar case in Italy. The English FA later handed him a further suspended two-month ban. Paqueta joined West Ham in August 2022 from French side Lyon and quickly became a key player for the east London club. He has made 120 appearances for the club in total, including 36 last season after he was cleared to play while the case against him was decided upon. He was part of the side that won the UEFA Conference League in 2023, starting and playing the full match in the win over Fiorentina in the final. Paqueta came through the youth ranks at Flamengo in his homeland and made 95 senior appearances before a move to European football with Lyon in 2020. He has won 55 caps for Brazil, scoring 11 goals, and was part of the Copa America-winning squad in 2019.