Premier League clubs will meet next week to discuss APT case as Manchester City accuses league of ‘deceitful’
Premier League clubs will meet on Thursday next week (17/10) to discuss the league’s Associated Party Transactions (APT) regulations, following Monday’s ruling on the case.
Manchester City, who yesterday won their first battle against the organizing authority, sent a letter to the other 19 clubs and the League, accusing the Premier League of “deception”.
The city also added that further legal action could be taken if changes to the APT rules were approved hastily.
On Monday, an independent panel published its decision in City’s case against the Premier League over APT rules, which aim to regulate sponsorship deals with companies linked to club owners to inflate revenue streams and make room for greater expenditure. .
The committee concluded that the APT rules were “illegal”as they exclude shareholder loans to their clubs, but the Premier League claimed that “the court confirmed the need for an APT system as a whole and rejected the majority of Manchester City’s objections”.
City general counsel Simon Cliff, on behalf of the club, subsequently sent a letter outlining his view of the league’s response.
In the letter, City argue that the Premier League’s statement “is misleading and contains several inaccuracies”. City adds that the League summary is “a strange way of looking at the decision”. The Premier League, for its part, has rejected the idea that its response to the decision is misleading.
The Premier League said in its statement that the decision “(supports) the general objectives, framework and decision-making of the APT system”. The city’s position in its letter is that the decision means that “all APT rules are void and will take effect in 2021 (when they were first introduced).”
In its statement on Monday, the Premier League admitted that the decision was right “a small number of distinct elements” of APT that do not comply with competition law, but these “can be quickly and effectively remedied by the league and clubs”.
The city, however, warned that any changes to APT rules should not be rushed, threatening further legal action.
Although the 20 clubs will meet next Thursday to discuss the consequences of the APT’s decision, there are no plans to vote on the matter.
naftemporiki.gr