- City appear to have scored a victory in their battle over sponsorship rules
- Pep Guardiola’s team took action against “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 Associated Party Transactions (APT) rules, after a vote on an amendment to the system was ruled out at this morning’s top-flight meeting.
City declined to comment. However, Mail Sport understands that the clubs were due to discuss the rule changes, which City claimed were illegal, at the London summit.
Sources have revealed that the vote was scrapped at the “last minute”, in what can be interpreted as a strong indication that City have been successful in their legal challenge, given that there would be little point in voting on amendments to rules that could soon be subject to change, or even become inactive.
The potentially significant development comes amid the Premier League’s ongoing case against City over 115 alleged breaches of financial rules.
In June, it emerged that City had taken the unprecedented step of suing their rivals, in a move that sparked a civil war in the top flight.
A vote on changing the Premier League’s sponsorship rules has been cancelled, in what could be a victory for Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s team took legal action against these sanctions, which they consider a form of ‘discrimination’, in February
They claimed that APT rules, which are intended to prevent clubs from signing inflated sponsorship contracts with companies linked to their owners, were unlawful and sought damages. A two-week hearing was held, the results of which have not yet been made public.
City claimed the rules, introduced in December 2021 following Saudi Arabia’s takeover of Newcastle United, were aimed at ending their success on the pitch and described them as a “tyranny of the majority”, arguing the league’s system of requiring at least 14 clubs (two-thirds of those voting) to give the green light to rule changes is unfair.
If City have been successful, it remains to be seen whether such a decision would affect the ongoing hearing.
Allegations of sponsorship deals financed by companies linked to Abu Dhabi are central to many of the 115 charges.
This morning’s vote was due to take place on a database, which was created around the APT system in 2021, which required clubs to submit commercial contracts to a league repository.
A vote was scheduled to take place at the Premier League shareholders’ meeting today.
Clubs were due to vote on whether to restrict access to the data bank and prevent bodies such as courts from doing so before judging fair market value. The data bank is considered a pillar of the APT rules. However, it did not take place after an amendment was withdrawn from the agenda.
A City spokesman said: “As you know, we are not in a position to comment.” The Premier League has been contacted for comment.