Lucas Paqueta is WITHDRAWN from the Brazil squad after Mail Sport revealed West Ham star is being investigated for alleged betting breaches as his manager admits he removed him to 'resolve these issues'
Brazil national team manager Fernando Diniz has revealed he decided to remove West Ham star Lucas Paqueta from his squad for upcoming international matches after news broke of an investigation into alleged betting breaches.
Mail Sport exclusively revealed on Friday that the Brazilian is under investigation by the Football Association amid concerns that the game's gambling rules have been broken.
Now, Diniz has explained he reacted to the announcement about Paqueta's alleged involvement by labelling his decision as a 'question of preservation'.
Brazil's interim head coach had originally included the 25-year-old in his 23-man squad before making the decision to withdraw him in a bid to protect the player.
Explaining his decision, Diniz told Globo Esporte: 'I'm a guy who… what protects me my whole life is the truth. Paqueta was on the list.
'He's a player I like a lot. It's a question of preservation, letting him resolve these issues, which go beyond the game.
'Make him more comfortable to resolve. We had these problems here in Brazil,' he added.
'This needs the time factor for things to clear up. He's a player I adore, even though we've never worked together. The CBF will have its doors open to receive him as soon as he positively resolves these issues we had at the last minute.'
'This needs the time factor for things to clear up. He's a player I adore, even though we've never worked together.
'The CBF will have its doors open to receive him as soon as he positively resolves these issues we had at the last minute.'
The South American nation will be without Paqueta for upcoming World Cup qualifiers in September against Peru and Bolivia, with Casemiro joining Newcastle duo Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes as the only Premier League
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