‘Sorry if I’m not perfect’ – Paqueta responds to criticism of red card | OneFootball

Lucas Paqueta has hit back at criticism of his behaviour after being sent off during West Ham’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.

The midfielder received two back-to-back yellow cards for dissent after confronting referee Darren England at the London Stadium.

West Ham were trailing 1-0 at the time of his dismissal, courtesy of Alexander Isak’s opener for Liverpool, before Cody Gakpo sealed the win for the visitors late on.

Sky Sports’ commentary team branded Paqueta’s antics as ‘ridiculous’, but the Brazilian has taken to social media to respond.

He said the impact of a two-year investigation into alleged spot-fixing from the player may have led to his behaviour and hit out at the FA for a lack of support. A Football Association investigation into the midfielder ended in July when he was cleared of the charges by an independent regulatory commission.

“It’s ridiculous to have your life and career affected for two years without any psychological support from the federation,” he said via X.

“Perhaps this ridiculous behaviour is just a reflection of everything I’ve had to endure and, it seems, have to continue enduring! I’m sorry if I’m not perfect.”

In an earlier post, Paqueta apologised to his West Ham teammates and fans for his red card.

“I understand that now I have to come across as the villain, it’s hard to live with everything that was caused in my life and in my psyche! I’ll keep trying to ensure they don’t affect me even more. This doesn’t justify my expulsion and that’s why I apologise to the fans and my teammates!”

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