With no cars allowed, tree-lined beaches and year-round temperatures of 30 degrees the tiny Paqueta Island must feel like paradise, but for the last few months this tranquil retreat from Rio de Janiero has been the centre of a brewing storm.
A flurry of bets placed on the 0.5mile square island’s most famous resident, Lucas Paqueta, to be booked in a Premier League game 6,000 miles away in March this year triggered a global investigation that has been quietly gathering pace for five months, exploding into life last Friday when it caused the collapse of the Brazilian international’s £80million move to Manchester City.