http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...director-lee-charnley-arrested-st-james-park/ There's been much speculation about possible points deductions, but that has previously been reserved for insolvency or the inability to pay fines. Certainly the length of prosecution in this case should take it beyond the time frame to affect our promotion to the Premier League. The major concern has to be a possible transfer ban punishment, especially if it were to affect the summer transfer window. Will more people be arrested? Was Ashley involved? Will this cloud affect Rafa's decision on whether or not to stay? Lots to worry about here, so I guess our promotion celebrations are cut short. Meanwhile, Charnley's in jail. So, it seems we'll be needing a new managing director. I'll add updates to this thread.
UPDATE: Charnley released without charge. Looks like they'll have to sort through seized data before they're ready to bring charges. Add a few months to the time frame. The club statement is a laugh: "Newcastle United can confirm that a member of its staff has this morning been assisting HMRC with their inquiries. The Club will be making no further comment at this time."