- Mail Sport revealed Man City had accused league bosses of ‘inaccuracies’
- The champions sent an email warning of further legal action against the top flight
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English football’s civil war has broken out, with Manchester City accusing the Premier League of “misleading” clubs over the legal battle between the two over sponsorship rules.
Mail Sport revealed that, in an unprecedented move, the champions sent an email to all other clubs late on Monday warning of further legal action and arguing that League bosses had been spreading “inaccuracies”.
City claimed a historic victory after a court ruled that the League’s rules on commercial agreements with parties linked to club owners were illegal.
However, the Premier League downplayed the significance of the verdict in an email to clubs, a move later scheduled by City’s legal counsel in an email of its own.
League chief Richard Masters said the court had generally endorsed its associated party transaction (APT) rules but had “identified a small number of elements… which, in their current form, do not comply with the requirements of competence and public law”. He added that the changes could be “remedied quickly and effectively.”
The Premier League, led by Richard Masters, will hold an emergency meeting next week
Manchester City have accused league bosses of ‘misleading’ teams by providing ‘inaccuracies’
Man City claimed legal victory against Associated Party Transactions (APT) rules, but Premier League downplayed verdict
That clearly caused outrage at City, who effectively accused the Premier League of lying in a long message to all the clubs and the League itself.
The clubs will hold an emergency meeting next Thursday to discuss their next steps. Sources have revealed that each team’s “big hitters” will attend.
The Premier League will face serious questions over the work of its legal department, with this latest setback following their embarrassing defeat at the hands of Leicester City following the Foxes’ successful appeal over alleged breaches of financial rules.
“It’s hard to see this as a Premier League victory,” said one well-informed source. “There is also a lot of concern about how much is spent on legal bills and whether it is being spent wisely.”
Despite Masters’ comments, a vote on the APT amendments will not be held.
City, who can now claim compensation, have received messages of support from “multiple” clubs, although it is understood that some feel they have gone too far with their email.
Big hitters from rival Premier League clubs including Arsenal and Man United are expected to attend the emergency meeting next week.
Manchester City’s general counsel Simon Cliff sent an email, seen by Mail Sport, on Monday claiming the Premier League summary was “misleading and contains a number of inaccuracies”.
While the Premier League declined to comment, officials reject any idea that Masters’ email was misleading or inaccurate.
In his email, City’s general counsel Simon Cliff told the clubs: “Unfortunately the (League) summary is misleading and contains several inaccuracies.”
He dismissed the suggestion that new rules could be passed quickly and warned of potentially costly new legal action. “This is the time for careful reflection by all clubs, not a knee-jerk reaction,” Cliff said. ‘Such a reckless move would likely lead to new court proceedings with increased legal costs.
“It is essential that member clubs feel they can trust their regulator.”
