Man City 'expecting win' in challenge against Premier League rules, with verdict likely soon Manchester City faced the Premier League in a two-week tribunal to seek damages over the league's Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules.
Manchester City are allegedly certain of winning the Premier League after launching an extraordinary legal case. In June, City filed a 165-page petition against the Premier League, arguing that Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules discriminated against Gulf ownership. The Premier League implemented APT restrictions in December 2021, following Newcastle's takeover by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
The rules were designed to keep clubs competitive by preventing them from artificially inflating commercial arrangements with corporations tied to their owners. According to the laws, any commercial transaction must be independently reviewed and determined to be "fair market value". City fought back against what its attorneys called a "tyranny of the majority" when the regulations were reinforced at a shareholders' meeting in February. The reigning Premier League champions, who were accused of 115 financial fair play violations in a separate case, have chosen to sue for damages.
A two-week hearing has already concluded, with other top-flight clubs providing evidence - some for City and some for the Premier League. A decision is due soon, and The Times writes that City's legal team expects'some type of triumph' after believing the hearing went well for them. The timing of the conclusion is noteworthy because the lawsuit investigating City's alleged financial fair play violations is set to begin on Monday. City, who denies the claims, is accused of failing to give proper financial information for nine years beginning in 2009.
In the APT case, City believes the restrictions are "deliberately intended to stifle commercial freedoms of particular clubs in particular circumstances, and thus to restrict economic competition". They additionally contend that "there is no rational or logical connection between a club's financial non-sustainability and its receipt of revenues from entities linked to ownerships" . The club thinks that a successful legal action against the APT guidelines will significantly bolster their defence in the FFP dispute. In the summer, City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak discussed the legal issues that were clouding the club's achievements.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0