West Ham's Paqueta cleared of betting charges

Lucas Paqueta was charged with four alleged breaches of FA rules in relation to matches involving West Ham. [AFP]

West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been cleared of spot-fixing charges by an independent regulatory commission, the club announced on Thursday.

The Brazilian international was charged with four alleged breaches of FA rules in relation to matches involving the Premier League side.

It was alleged that the 27-year-old directly sought to influence matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee for the "improper purpose of affecting the betting market".

He denied the charges and the independent regulatory commission found the charges not proven following a hearing.

The Football Association said two charges against Paqueta related to a failure to cooperate with its investigation had been found proven.

It said a commission would decide on an appropriate sanction for those proven breaches "at the earliest opportunity".

The Brazilian said in a statement issued by West Ham that he had always maintained his "innocence against these extremely serious accusations".

West Ham United vice-chair Karren Brady said: "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."