Both sides claim a win as ruling published over Man City legal case against Premier League APT rules
Manchester City fans celebrate after Manchester City's Rodrigo scores his side's third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, May 19, 2024. Credit: AP/Dave Thompson
MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City and the Premier League were both claiming victory on Monday after the conclusion of the first of two high-profile clashes between the pair.
Four-time defending champion City, which also faces more than 100 charges of alleged financial breaches, legally challenged one of the league's key regulations relating to financial fairness - Associated Party Transaction (APT) Rules.
Both City and the league said they “welcomed” the findings of an arbitration panel. City said the rules had been found to be “unlawful” and that the league had “abused its dominant position.”
The league said the tribunal had found the rules to be “necessary” and had “rejected the majority of Manchester City’s challenges.”
APT rules are designed to ensure fair market value is applied to commercial deals with organizations closely aligned to club owners, and safeguard the “competitive balance” of the world’s most popular soccer league.
The findings of the tribunal were published on Monday and City issued a triumphant statement in response.
“The club has succeeded with its claim: the Associated Party Transaction rules have been found to be unlawful and the Premier League’s decisions on two specific MCFC sponsorship transactions have been set aside,” it said.
City added that the tribunal had found the rules to be “structurally unfair” and that the league was “specifically unfair” in applying them to the Abu Dhabi-backed club.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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