Manchester City have accused the Premier League of being “misleading” following the fallout from a ruling on the league’s regulations on Associated Party Transactions (APT).
In a letter sent to the other 19 teams and the Premier League, City also say there could be further legal action taken if amendments to the APT rules are rushed through.
On Monday, an independent panel published its decision on City’s case against the Premier League on the APT rules — which aim to regulate against its clubs using sponsorship deals with companies linked to their owners to inflate revenue streams and allow room for greater spending.
City and the Premier League both released statements in which they appeared to claim victories. The panel found that the APT rules were “unlawful” as they exclude loans made from shareholders to their clubs but the Premier League asserted that “the tribunal upheld the need for an APT system as a whole and rejected the majority of Manchester City’s challenges”. Following that, City’s general counsel Simon Cliff, on behalf of the club, sent a letter outlining their view of the league’s response.
In the letter, which The Athletic has seen, City contend that the Premier League statement “is misleading and contains several inaccuracies”. City add that the league’s summary is “a peculiar way of looking at the decision”.
The Premier League previously said that the ruling “(endorses) the overall objectives, framework and decision-making of the APT system”. City’s position in their letter is that the ruling means “all of the APT rules are void, and have been since 2021 (when they were first introduced)”.
In its statement on Monday, the Premier League admitted that the ruling identified “a small number of discrete elements” of the APT which do not comply with competition law but these “can quickly and effectively be remedied by the league and clubs”.
City, though, warn that any amendments made to the APT rules should not be rushed through and caution against a “knee-jerk reaction”. The club say “it is therefore remarkable” that the Premier League is seeking to amend the APT regulations following the tribunal’s ruling that they are unlawful.
Premier League clubs will meet next Thursday to discuss the APT rules following Monday’s ruling but there is no plan to vote on the issue. The league also rejects the idea that its response to the ruling is misleading.
(Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
