HAIRY SITUATION! CAN PAQUETÁ PLAY FOR FLAMENGO IF HE IS PUNISHED IN ENGLAND? UNDERSTAND

Lucas Paquetá is on Flamengo's radar as a potential new signing. The Rio club prefers a loan, mainly to keep the player away from England during the investigation into his possible involvement in sports betting. However, West Ham rejected this proposal, only accepting the definitive sale of the athlete. Flamengo, in turn, has not yet given up on the deal.

An issue that concerns many Flamengo fans is Paquetá's playing condition. The main question is whether, after signing, the player will be able to continue playing for the club if he is suspended in England. Cristiano Caús, partner at CCLA Advogados and specialist in Sports Law, explained that a suspension in England could have international repercussions. This depends on the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, which can extend the punishment globally.

Cristiano Caús detailed that punishment in a country only has an international effect if the court or federation local request the extension to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee. Only after this decision will the punishment be valid worldwide. He cited examples of Brazilian athletes transferred before the trial by the STJD, who had their contracts terminated after FIFA extended the sentences. Thus, Paquetá may have to serve a possible suspension in Brazil.

Pedro Fida, from the Fida Associados office, also a sports specialist, stated that FIFA cannot change the punishment of the English federation. However, the entity can internationalize the penalty even without formal notification. If the FA punishes Paquetá, it must notify FIFA, which will verify whether the requirements for extending the global sanction have been met. Otherwise, FIFA can act on its own to apply the punishment worldwide.

Flamengo believes that, legally, Paquetá will be able to play in Brazil until an eventual punishment of FIFA is formalized. However, how long this would take is uncertain. In the case of Brazilian players suspended by the STJD at the beginning of June 2023, FIFA took just over three months to internationalize the sentence in September. Therefore, Flamengo assesses the risks before finalizing the signing of Paquetá.