A new day, a new dollar – a new controversy?
With Managing Director Lee Charnley having being released yesterday afternoon after helping HMRC officials with their enquiries, that was a little bit of good news.
He had been shockingly arrested yesterday morning but was released without charge and that dramatic raid by HMRC officials yesterday in France and England was over £5M as part of a tax fraud.
Rafa Benitez – Newcastle United manager
It was associated in part with image rights of players – which has always been a dodgy issue – a gray area for a while now.
We hope things can calm down today, but the timing of the raid was interesting, just as our elated players were reporting back at Benton for their first training session after being promoted on Monday night.
Nobody’s going to say that was just a coincidence with Newcastle being the major club raided along with West Ham and Chelsea.
And there was ever a man who can keep things calm and under control at Newcastle it is Rafa Benitez and we expect him to show that at his press conference today.
We expect Rafa to be calm and super cool and refuse to answer any questions on what happened yesterday since he is preparing his team for the game at Cardiff City tomorrow night.
Rafa has the stature, personality and aura about him to calm things down at a club like Newcastle, which has historically lurched from one crisis to another.
We are very lucky to have such a world-renowned manager with integrity as the manager of Newcastle United and the fans know that only too well.
We wonder if Mike Ashley knows that too?
It would be dangerous for Mike Ashley not to give Rafa Benitez all he wants this summer – after all Rafa only wants to make the club Ashley owns into a European powerhouse.
What’s wrong with that?
Comments welcome.
17 comments so far
firebug666
Apr 27, 2017 at 7:55 AM
Comment #1ALLEGED hidden payments to players, agents and others are at the centre of a major fraud investigation involving Newcastle United and West Ham, French officials say.
An Anglo-French investigation into suspected tax fraud in football has seen several men arrested in dawn raids yesterday at Newcastle United, West Ham and France.
Officers from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) also visited Premier League leaders Chelsea on Wednesday morning but no items were seized or arrests made.
And according to local reports, French officials have arrested four football agents, with Marseille’s transfer dealings understood to be under investigation.
Newcastle’s managing director Lee Charnley is so far the only confirmed arrest but Press Association Sport understands he has already been released without charge. It also believed there were no arrests made at West Ham.
France’s National Financial Office released a statement on Wednesday night, confirming reports of arrests in the country.
It read: “On April 26, 2017 a number of arrests and searches were carried out in France in connection with the execution by the national financial prosecutor (PNF) of a request on July 29, 2016 for mutual assistance from the British judicial authorities.
“Ten searches were carried out all over France and four people were held in custody. Documents were also seized.
“The investigation is being conducted by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). It deals with cases of aggravated tax evasion and the laundering of aggravated tax fraud committed during several transfers of football players between French clubs and clubs playing in the Premier League.
“The UK authorities suspect hidden payments to certain players, their agents or third parties, allowing them to evade income taxes and social security contributions.
“This judicial operation to combat tax fraud, carried out jointly by the French and British authorities and supervised by two PNF magistrates, took several months to prepare and mobilised 32 investigators.”
Newcastle United has not commented on the investigation.
The club was promoted to the Premier League on Monday after one season in the Championship.
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/local/northdurham/15249853.Alleged_hidden_payments_to_players_and_agents_at_centre_of_major_fraud_investigation_involving_Newcastle_United/
WWSBRD
Apr 27, 2017 at 8:02 AM
Comment #2Rafa will say nothing about it
How about Cardiff then? Who do they have these days? Noone still play for them? He loves a goal against us
magscar
Apr 27, 2017 at 8:04 AM
Comment #3Firebug
There is an interesting take on it all by David Conn in Guardian as on Newsnow but can’t paste link from my tablet.
Charlie in the Gallowgate
Apr 27, 2017 at 8:08 AM
Comment #4Seems the trigger for looking into the TOON and West Ham’s Tax affairs was the Transfer of Demba Ba in 2011
firebug666
Apr 27, 2017 at 8:09 AM
Comment #5magscar
Can’t find it marra or I would have posted it for you.
magscar
Apr 27, 2017 at 8:12 AM
Comment #6Firebug
Cheers. Was on late last night. Went into some of the background to previous raids by City of London police in the infamous Harry case.
magscar
Apr 27, 2017 at 8:13 AM
Comment #7Would be good to be able to move on but this is all like a nagging toothache you can’t help probing with your tongue 🙁
magscar
Apr 27, 2017 at 8:15 AM
Comment #8Charlie
That might also account for Chelsea link?
ShirebrookToon
Apr 27, 2017 at 8:17 AM
Comment #9http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/882988111?-21483:5807:0
ShirebrookToon
Apr 27, 2017 at 8:17 AM
Comment #10Think that’s the link magscar was talking about
firebug666
Apr 27, 2017 at 8:19 AM
Comment #11ShirebrookToon
Thanks mate.
Q. How many agents did Demba Ba have?
toontaff2
Apr 27, 2017 at 8:25 AM
Comment #12More importantly, what is Penfold carrying?
Can we have a blog poll, to guess the package?
http://i4.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article10301274.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/NNP-HMRC_BARMOOR_DRIVE_33.jpg
Is it a mucky movie?
giimps
Apr 27, 2017 at 8:40 AM
Comment #13Probably the guarantee of the strawberry sauce he was given, difficult to put a price on that kind of benefit.
El Sleeve
Apr 27, 2017 at 8:41 AM
Comment #14He had 7 agents.
giimps
Apr 27, 2017 at 8:44 AM
Comment #15Hi guys, a little off the beaten track this one.
Can we listen to the match via bbc newcastle and tunein radio?
The reason i ask is that my mum (whos virtually blind ) loves listening to the toon on her radio when its not on tv ,she had bother with her radio for the preston game ,although it seems to be working now and i was wondering if she could listen to the match via tunein on her amazon echo?
I tried it for the scum game last night but it was blocked, is this the same for the toon games, if so i may need to sort her a different radio as a backup as im going to the cardiff game and wont be able to sort it for her.
I need to know before i go to the game so any info either way will be good, i believe its internet radio so an internet stream that was blocked on tunein as it was when i tried bbciplayer radio app…..cheers for any help anyone can give
widowmagandapoke
Apr 27, 2017 at 11:58 AM
Comment #16Glimps. I don’t know about tune in radio but I know if I get it on my I pad via radio Newcastle it won’t transmit the commentary. I take it you mam is not in the radio Newcastle transmission range otherwise she could hear it there. However I see it is on sky. If she hasn’t got it there should be a pub with it on.
mainemagpie
Apr 27, 2017 at 8:55 PM
Comment #17giimps.
The commentaries have been available for free on the official Newcastle website since they revamped it….nufc.co.uk available if she has internet access…..I am in Maine, USA and have been listening to games this way for months. There is no other way to do it as BBC Iplayer is blocked as soon as game comes on.