Newcastle managing director Lee Charnley arrested

Following an investigation by HM Revenue and customs investigation into the transfer activities of Newcastle United.

Oooh. I wonder how messy this could get. Imagine a Swindon 1990 situation. Haha

 

George Caulkin‏Verified account@CaulkinTheTimes 6m6 minutes ago
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My understanding is that HM Revenue & Customs are investigating transfer activity at Newcastle United & that Lee Charnley has been arrested.

 

You have to hand it to Newcastle.....No matter how good things can happen to them, they are just a click of a finger away from screwing things up.... Gotta love NUFC...the gift that keeps giving.

 

We'll beat Hull, Swansea and Middlesbrough, come 3rd bottom and stay up due to Newcastle's financial irregularities?

 

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Could potentially be bad, dodgy ****s.

 

Thats one of those 'if Carlsberg did.......' adverts right there. I'm not building my hopes up though. They'll probably just get a slap on the wrist.

 

It looks like the derby is back on after all. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

 

Although they won the promotion play-offs, Swindon Town did not compete in the First Division during the following season. The 1989–90 season had seen the club charged with 36 breaches of Football League regulations[2] – 35 of which related to illegal payments made to players between 1985 and 1989.

A hearing to decide the club's fate was scheduled for 4 May – before the play-offs began – but this was postponed on legal advice just days before it was due when Swindon chairman Brian Hillier, club accountant Vince Farrar and former team manager Lou Macari were all charged by police for "intent to defraud Inland Revenue by making payments without deducting tax or NI". (In July 1992 both Hillier and Farrar were found guilty of these charges, while Macari was cleared).

Hillier and Macari had already been punished by the FA in February 1990 for their involvement in a £6,500 bet being placed on Swindon losing to Newcastle United in a tie during the 1987–88 FA Cup. The bet was successful and netted £4,000 winnings. As this activity ran counter to FA rules that forbid any bets by club officials or players on their own team, both were found guilty. Hillier was given a six-month suspension from football, but after he (unsuccessfully) appealed, the FA increased it to three years. Macari was fined £1,000 (upheld after his own appeal), and Swindon Town given a £7,500 fine.

At a Football League hearing on 7 June, Swindon pleaded guilty to all 36 charges against them and admitted a further twenty. The league decreed that the club would be denied promotion and instead demoted to the Third Division. Six days later, it was announced that losing play-off finalists Sunderlandwould be instead promoted to the First Division. This was controversial as Newcastle felt that as they had finished third, three places above bitter rivals Sunderland, they should have been promoted instead. The FA's decision stood and Sunderland were promoted.

Swindon launched a High Court appeal against the Football League's double demotion, claiming it to be "harsh, oppressive and disproportionate to previous penalties". However, within days they dropped this action and instead appealed directly to the FA. On 2 July an FA Appeal Panel reduced the punishment to the club simply remaining in the Second Division; Tranmere Rovers – the losing play-off finalists in the Third Division – who were to have replaced Swindon in the second level were therefore denied promotion.

 

BBC reporting this. Looks like it could be a widespread thing.


'Several' football arrests over HMRC probe - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-39716009

 

So there's a precedent and if you're Newcastle, not a good one. Depends on the scale of what's been going on perhaps.

 

West Ham as well apparently.

 

They were just getting warmed up too

 

Rafa provided with perfect excuse to walk, point's deduction and open topped bus cancelled ..... Ashley will be blamed as usual and normal service resumed

 

With a bit of luck we could end up in one of the Champions League spots.

 

Im getting all moist at the thought of this being a total clusterfuck situation for them

Bedsheets, coffins and horses running for their lives.

 

Well if its an individual thing then I'd expect a statement from the club asap to deny responsibility. If the club stay silent then I would fear the worst if I was a town fan.

 

This could be nothing or end really badly for our neighbours.
Here's hoping its the latter.

 

It looks like they have been fiddling their tax on ingoing and outgoing transfers , which has obviously freed up more funds than should have been to spend on new signings, clearly giving them an unfair advantage.

****ed