West Ham plan for 'worst case scenario' in Lucas Paqueta hearing - Exclusive

Lucas Paqueta is edging towards a ruling in his hearing over alleged betting breaches at West Ham United.

The FA are said to be pushing for a lifetime ban if the Brazilian is found guilty, with the hearing likely to last three weeks in total.

Paqueta was charged with spot-fixing over four yellow cards picked up in Premier League games between 2022 and 2024.

West Ham plan for worst-case scenario with Paqueta

Dan Plumley has insisted that the Irons will be hoping for the best, but planning for the worst, with several scenarios being played out behind the scenes at the London Stadium.

The football finance expert revealed that the Hammers will want as much financial protection as possible, with a lengthy ban possible for the playmaker.

"Unfortunately, it's not a nice situation," Plumley exclusively told West Ham Zone.

"Clubs need to plan for the worst and hope for the best, and everything in between.

"There will be lots of things going on behind the scenes with West Ham preparing for that, and a lot of that is out of their control in terms of what happens with the player, but there are repercussions of that.

"We've seen with Tonali as the example at Newcastle, and this could be similar or even worse, so you have to scenario plan and go to that worst-case scenario.

"Ultimately, the club will want as much financial protection as possible, so behind the scenes, there will be loads of scenarios that have been worked up on what they do depending on which way the verdict goes."

David Sullivan watches closely at West Ham

David Sullivan will certainly be wanting to protect the Irons and his financial interest, with Paqueta likely on big money, way too big to be sitting around doing nothing if banned.

Sandro Tonali and Ivan Toney are the latest examples of betting-related bans in the Premier League, but Paqueta has always denied these charges.

As the days tick by, West Ham will be anxious to find out the final ruling.