Manchester City To Take Legal Action Against Premier League
Manchester City FC is pursuing legal action against the Premier League over its financial rules.
According to multiple reports, the club is aiming to challenge the league’s Associated Party Transaction (APT) regulations, which were introduced in 2021 as part of a clampdown on multi-club ownership following Newcastle United’s Saudi-backed takeover.
Next week, City’s arbitration hearing is set to begin on 10th June, during which the league will assess whether the club’s commercial partnerships are financially fair.
First reported by The Times, City has published a 165-page legal document stating that the league champions are a ‘victim of discrimination’, despite securing a record fourth successive title last month.
Earlier this year, a majority of 14 Premier League clubs approved tighter regulations on associated party sponsorship deals in March. As a result, clubs whose sponsors share the same owner may face sanctions in the future from an independent commission.
Khaldoon al-Mubarak, Chairman of Manchester City, said in an interview with the club’s internal media, “I feel for our fanbase and everyone associated with the club to have these charges constantly referenced.
“It’s taking longer than anyone hoped for but there is a process we have to go through. I’ve always repeated, let’s be judged by the facts and not by claims and counterclaims.”
In February 2023, City was charged with 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s regulations. These include 54 failures to provide accurate financial information from 2009 to 2018, 14 failures to give accurate details of player and manager payments from 2009 to 2018, five failures to comply with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations between 2013 and 2018, seven breaches of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) between 2015 and 2018, and 35 failures to cooperate with the league’s investigations between December 2018 and February 2023.
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