West Ham star Lucas Paqueta 'finds out date of hearing into alleged spot-fixing' – the Brazilian is accused of deliberately being booked four times – as the club is 'frustrated with the timing'

West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta will face a hearing in March over alleged spot-fixing, according to a report.

Mail Sport revealed in May that Paqueta had been charged by the football association, accusing the Brazilian of deliberately booking to influence betting markets.

The FA claims Paqueta was deliberately booked in top-flight games against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth so that either he and/or his friends could profit from bets placed on his card.

Paqueta has denied all allegations made against him and previously stated that he will “fight with every breath to clear my name.”

According to The Sun, the 27-year-old will face a hearing on the allegations next year. If found guilty, he could face a lifetime ban from the sport.

The FA has been investigating suspicious betting patterns linked to four yellow bookings Paqueta received in 2022 and 2023

Last month, Brazilian media reported that relatives of the Hammers star were being investigated over alleged bank payments to another Brazilian player. According to Brazilian news website UOL, two of Paqueta's relatives are said to have made two payments to another player, Luiz Henrique, in early 2023.

It is claimed the payments totaling over £5,000 were made shortly after the Brazilian striker was suspended for two games against Spanish club Real Betis.

Henrique was suspended for Real Betis' 1-0 win against Getafe on January 28, 2023 and the 4-3 defeat against Celta Vigo on February 4. The striker had played the final 11 minutes of the game.

UOL reported that Henrique allegedly received 10,000 Brazilian reals (£1,370) from a relative's bank account on January 30, before receiving 30,000 reals (R$30,000) from another relative's account on February 6.

Bruno Tolentino reportedly admitted the payments in an interview with the website, but said they were made to pay off a loan and had nothing to do with betting.

Mail Sport exclusively published the story of Paqueta's betting investigation in August 2023, which led to the collapse of his planned £85million move to Premier League champions Manchester City.

The charges brought by the FA earlier this year coincided with the midfielder's decline in form. The Hammers star suffered a poor end to last season and has only scored two goals so far this season.

Paqueta expressed surprise at the allegations and continues to deny any wrongdoing

West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui said Paqueta was dealing with the looming legal threat well, but revealed he had not spoken to the Brazilian about the issue

West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui has insisted the player is handling his looming legal problems well, but admitted he has not discussed the issue with the former Lyon star.

“I am satisfied with his behavior and his commitment,” Lopetegui said last month. “He works very hard and tries to understand what we want.” We try to help him get better and better. He's an important player.'

He added: “We don’t talk about it.” [the charges]. We talk about football, about the next game and about life. But not about that.'