After finishing second in the Brazilian top flight, the team's highest ever placing, you would have thought that the Newcastle U FC club chairman would be delighted at such success. But no. In a packed press conference today at the Sir Kevin Keegan Stadium, David "two chins" Maguire was not holding back from the VM Administrators who he clearly sees as presiding over a flawed and improper rule that he alleges allows top clubs to "fix" leagues between themselves.
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"It is extraordinary" he said "that teams like ours, who can have a fantastic season, after having played many seasons in Brazil and gradually improving our position year on year"...."when the outgoing champions are permitted to agree to swap leagues with the champions of the English Premier League who have gone on to steal the championship from us." Maguire was unyielding in his criticism of the administrators; "I have been complaining all season that allowing such swaps is completely unfair, but my complaints have just fallen on deaf ears, the rulemakers just say over and over that if one club chooses to swap leagues with another, that's no concern of theirs, it's disgusting, they make it a dirty league, I find it sickening."

Maguire's anger stems from 2 Brazilian league champions in the last 4 seasons choosing to try their luck in other countries' leagues, but in so doing making private deals with those other leagues' champions to replace them in Brazil. The Newcastle Chairman said "I have no problem with clubs trying their luck elsewhere. If they do, they should join the new country league where they can and work up through promotion to the top flight, as in fact we have done in the past, but this (what is happening in Brazil and elsewhere) is just not right. We have had a great season, but it is completely tarnished, this new club, the reigning English champions, just appeared from nowhere and took our league's title - it makes no sense at all!"

Billie Whitehurst, spokesman for the supporter's club Magtastic Day, didn't pull any punches either. "We was robbed. These bureaucrats have no idea about football. They sit in their ivory towers and make these really stupid rulings and the real fans are the ones who suffer.

VM's administrators continue to insist that league swapping between top flight clubs is within the rules and not a problem as far as they are concerned.