Revealed: Man City appear to score victory in their legal challenge against the Premier League’s sponsorship rules – as crucial vote is DROPPED
- City appear to have secured a victory in their battle over sponsorship rules
- Pep Guardiola’s team took action against the ‘discriminatory’ rules in February
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Manchester City appear to have secured a victory in their legal battle with the Premier League over the Associated Party Transaction Rules (APT). A vote on changing the system was scrapped at the top flight’s meeting this morning.
City declined to comment. However, Mail Sport understands that clubs would discuss changes to the rules, which City said were illegal, at the summit in London.
Sources have revealed that the vote was withdrawn at the ‘last minute’, which could be interpreted as a strong indication that City have been successful in their legal battle. After all, there would be little point in voting on changes to rules that could themselves soon be changed or even become inactive.
The potentially significant development comes as the Premier League’s case against City over 115 alleged breaches of financial regulations continues.
In June it was revealed that City had sued the competition, a move that sparked a civil war in the top division.
A vote on changing the Premier League’s sponsorship rules has been called off in what could mean a victory for Manchester City
Pep Guardiola’s team took legal action in February against these sanctions, which they consider a form of ‘discrimination’
They claimed that the APT rules, which are designed to prevent clubs from entering into inflated sponsorship deals with companies linked to their owners, were unlawful and sought damages. A two-week hearing was held, the results of which have yet to be made public.
City claimed the rules, which were introduced in December 2021 following the Saudi Arabian takeover of Newcastle United, were designed to end their success on the pitch, describing them as “the tyranny of the majority”. City said the league’s system, which requires a minimum of 14 clubs (two-thirds of voters) to give the green light for rule changes, was unfair.
If City is proven right, it remains to be seen whether such a ruling will have any implications for the ongoing legal case.
Allegations about sponsorship deals financed by companies with ties to Abu Dhabi play a central role in many of the 115 charges.
This morning’s vote was to be based on a database set up in 2021 around the APT system, which required clubs to submit commercial contracts to a competition database.
A vote was due to take place today at a Premier League shareholders meeting
Clubs were supposed to vote on restricting access to the database and preventing bodies such as tribunals from doing so before making a judgement on fair market value. The database is seen as a pillar of the APT rules. However, this did not happen after an amendment was removed from the agenda.
A City spokesman said: “As you know, we are unable to comment on this.” The Premier League has been approached for comment.