Explaining the Latest Manchester City Ruling
A ruling today made on the legality of the Premier League’s Associated Party Transaction (APT) regulations has offered another subplot into the current legal battle between Manchester City and the Premier League. The club have issued a statement up on their website, championing the win as landmark, but the Premier League also see it in their eyes as a ‘win’.
The ruling to simplify things, is based on the Premier League’s APT rules and amendments on maintaining the competitiveness of the league by preventing clubs from inflating the value of sponsorship deals with companies linked to their owners, in this case Manchester City.
Though the case is completely separate from the ‘115 charges’ ongoing case, for breaching the Premier League’s PSR rules, City’s claim was that the league’s APT rule’s were ‘unlawful’ and ‘discriminatory’. In the club’s statement, City pointed out that the panel who made the ruling, highlighted that two sponsorship deals of Emirates Air Group and First Abu Dhabi bank should be set aside, meaning the Premier League had denied Manchester City these deals.
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Now, what’s important to note here, is that though City are painting this as a seismic victory, it’s a little more complex. Aside from the fact there is a bigger case still ongoing, the Premier League noted that they were happy with the ruling too as though it pointed out ‘a small number of discrete elements’ of non-compliant ruling with the league’s APT, the tribunal did declare that the APT rules which City are trying to throw out and actively disengage are necessary for the league to upheld PSR.
The Premier League mentioned it’s APT rules would continue and the elements that are not compliant will be changed swiftly. Basically, City argued there were some issues with the APT ruling crucial to the Premier League’s PSR, whilst the tribunal hearing this acknowledged there was, it also acknowledged the need for APT.
Premier League clubs gave witness statements in favor of Man City and the Premier League. Whilst this is a short term victory for City it’s crucial for the league that the judgement panel deemed the League’s rules as fair. It feels as though, this is more a hearing of both legal weighing each other up, a first leg draw ahead of the real battle. As the case hots up, there is sure to be more of both sides politicking and spinning narratives as they see fit.
By: Dharnish Iqbal / @dharnishiqbal
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / David Ramos – AFP