Manchester City land first blow in legal wrangle with the Premier League

In the legal battle between Manchester City and the Premier League, in which the English champions face more than 130 charges for financial irregularities, the Mancunian team is also playing its cards, and the first hand has been taken by Pep Guardiola’s team.

Last June, British newspaper The Times advanced that the Citizens would take an “unprecedented legal action” against the Premier League as a counterattack. This would consist of suing the English league for “damages” in reference to the democratic voting system (14 out of 20 votes), accusing it of “discrimination against the owners of the Gulf” and, above all, trying to put an end to the rules on transactions with associated parties, the so-called APT rules, which in the football club’s opinion, are illegal.

City contest ATP rules

City made it clear that they were not happy with the Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules when they were introduced in December 2021 following the takeover of Newcastle United by a consortium of the Saudi Public Investment Fund. The rules temporarily banned Premier League clubs from striking commercial deals with companies with direct links to their owners.

Manchester City have thus scored their first, potentially significant victory in their legal battle with the Premier League, as various media in England have reported that a vote to change the rules was withdrawn at the last minute at the meeting on amendments to APT held this morning.

This case is not strictly related to the Premier League’s investigation and accusation, but it could help the north west club to reduce its cases and see a reduction in the possible sanction, which will be announced in early 2025.

The Premier League has accused the club of misrepresenting their financial position for nearly a decade between 2009 and 2018. If found guilty, City could face expulsion from the league.