Manchester City has accused the Premier League of 'misleading' clubs regarding the legal case they contested over top-flight regulations governing commercial agreements. On Monday night, City sent a letter to the other 19 clubs and the league, challenging the league's interpretation of the case's outcome. The reigning champions of four consecutive titles asserted that all associated party transaction (APT) rules are now void.
'Regrettably, the summary is misleading and contains several inaccuracies,' stated Simon Cliff, the club's general counsel, in an email. 'Of even greater concern is the Premier League's suggestion that new APT rules should be implemented within the next 10 days.'
When the Premier League initially consulted and proposed the original APT Rules in late 2021, Manchester City highlighted that the process, which took several weeks, was rushed, ill-considered, and would result in anti-competitive rules. The recent ruling has fully validated these concerns.
The tribunal has declared the APT rules to be unlawful. Manchester City's stance is that this renders all APT rules void, effective since 2021.
The Premier League contended that it emerged successfully from the process, as the ruling 'upheld the need for the APT system as a whole and rejected the majority of Manchester City's challenges.' The league plans to 'quickly and effectively' revise its rulebook in consultation with its shareholder clubs.
