LUCAS MEDAL AGONY

FA case takes its toll on Paqueta

- by SIMON MULLOCK

LUCAS PAQUETA may have cleared his name over the gambling charges that have hung over him for the last two years - but he has been left to count the cost.

The man who led the Brazilian’s legal defence believes the episode foiled the midfielder’s chance of winning a Premier League medal.

Paqueta, 27, was on the brink of an £85million move from West Ham to Manchester City when it emerged that he was being investigated by the FA.

It was alleged he had deliberately got himself booked in four different games as part of a spot-fixing sting.

An independent commission ruled last week that the FA had failed to prove their case, although two charges claiming that Paqueta failed to cooperate with the process were upheld.