Manchester City look set to secure an important win over the Premier League after a last-minute postponed vote
Manchester City appear to have scored a significant victory over the Premier League over its rules on third-party transactions.
He Premier League introduced the rules following its acquisition of Newcastle, which was facilitated by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
The rules were put in place to protect competitive integrity by preventing clubs from artificially inflating commercial deals associated with their owners.
This means that sponsorships must be independently assessed and would only be approved if they are deemed to have “fair market value.”
The city had argued that the rules discriminated against its ownership by Abu Dhabi United Group, an investment company of the Abu Dhabi royal family.
This came after they issued a 165-page complaint against the Premier League with a two-week hearing taking place in June.
However, a vote to change those rules was ruled out at a meeting of Premier League club shareholders on Thursday, indicating City's legal challenge has been successful.
City of man had been claiming economic damages for losses suffered as a result of the “illegality of the (fair market value) rules.”
They claimed the rules were “deliberately intended to stifle the commercial freedoms of specific clubs in particular circumstances and thereby restrict economic competition”.
The case is not related to the 115 charges of alleged rule breaches facing the Premier League champions.
As such, Manchester City have refused to comment on whether this means they have won their legal case.
City, whose last title was their sixth in seven years, were charged by the Premier League More than a year and a half ago, in February 2023.
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City were accused of breaching FFP rules around 100 times over nine years between 2009 and 2018.
His alleged crimes coincided with the club's rise to prominence as a dominant force in English football.
Since then, The investigation has not concluded but Everton and Nottingham Forest has been punished for minor crimes.
The Premier League has argued that City's case is different because of the depth, scale and complexity of the charges, and the hearing is expected to last ten weeks.
Pep Guardiola's team deny all charges against them.
