Soccer-Court rejects Newcastle's legal challenge to tax raids

Oct 4 (Reuters) - Newcastle United have lost a High Court challenge over document seizures by tax officials investigating the finances of soccer clubs, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

Officials from HMRC, the body responsible for the United Kingdom's tax collection, raided Newcastle and West Ham United in April, with several men arrested for suspected Income Tax and National Insurance fraud.

The HMRC said at the time that French authorities were assisting their efforts and searches had been carried out in France in connection with the investigation, which centres around transfer dealings between English and French clubs.

Newcastle had challenged the legality of the HMRC's search-and-seize orders, but the presiding judges at the hearing at Leeds Crown Court ruled on Wednesday that "the warrants were lawfully issued", the BBC reported.

A Newcastle spokeswoman said the club would not be making any comment on the verdict at this stage.

Newcastle were promoted to the Premier League in May. (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; editing by Ken Ferris)