Lucas Paquetá has received an incredible amount of support from both the West Ham fanbase and the club itself.
Quite rightly, both have carried on regardless, with a presumption of innocence on the Brazilian’s part following accusations that he fixed the outcome of yellow cards to win money from a betting company.
In many respects, the fanbase has been so loyal to the player that the presumption has actually turned into an expectation that Paquetá will be acquitted and exonerated of all charges.
In the West Ham pantomime, which has been ongoing for over 14 months, the Hammers’ record signing is the wrongly accused hero, while the FA plays the role of the evil ugly sisters.
Therefore, I tentatively address the elephant in the room by asking the most awkward of questions: What if he is actually guilty?
I feel dirty and unsupportive for even bringing it up, but the sequence of events over the past few days has led me to consider the most uncomfortable of truths.
The FA has added two new charges of obstruction, Paquetá’s uncle has admitted to winning money from yellow cards, and both Spanish and Brazilian authorities appear to be running parallel investigations into the alleged misdemeanours which appear to involve more than just the player himself.
West Ham’s own sponsor, Betway, has supplied evidence, and the FA has requested a second look at the Hammers’ record signing’s phone, collecting data from his bank transactions, call logs, and messages.
Paquetá’s uncle and cousin allegedly paid former Real Betis forward Luiz Henrique over £5,000 shortly after Henrique received two controversial yellow cards, which led La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation to open an investigation.
To put it mildly, the evidence doesn’t look good, and the FA appears to be pushing for a lifetime ban.
I’ve no doubt that Paquetá appreciates the loyalty the West Ham family has shown him. But the club must be preparing a contingency plan in the event of the worst happening, which, I hate to say, is looking far more likely.