Premier League blow to City: they win the battle over 'inflated sponsorships'

Premier league clubs have approved modifications to the rules on Operations with Associated Parties (APT) in a meeting in the center of London.

Of the 20 Premier League teams, only four of them voted against these changes proposed at the meeting (Manchester City, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United). the english league He needed at least 14 clubs to vote in favor for the amendments to be approved, and in the end there were two more.

He first divisionwhich I can't deal with APT offers and is potentially open to damages from other clubs trying to reach agreements with associated parties in the meantime, it was prepared to present his list of amendments as quickly as possible.

Of the clubs that have opposed, Manchester City is the one that has had the most conflictssince last summer he held legal discussions with the Premier League about how this matter should be resolved, with the Sky Blues concluding that “no vote should be taken until the court has provided its full guidance on the APT rules“.

Furthermore, the co-owner of Aston Villa Nassef Sawiris said that “will vote against the rules proposed by the APT” asking for the vote to be delayed and supporting Manchester City. Arsenal, Bournemouth, Brentford, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester United, West Ham and Wolverhampton supported the Premier League with evidence during the summer arbitration.

He The Premier League asked clubs to vote on amendments to make the rules legal and comply with UK competition law. This includes the addition of shareholder loans to the Fair Market Value (FMV) assessment, the removal of some of the amendments made to the APT rules earlier this year and changes to the way clubs access the base of league data.which is used to make decisions about the FMV.

simon cliffgeneral advisor of Manchester City, sent a message to the English FA and the rest of the Premier League clubs warning that voting in favor of these amendments “involves a material risk”.

Declaration of the first division

The amendments to the rules address the findings of an arbitration tribunal following a legal challenge by Manchester City to the APT system earlier this year.

The Premier League has carried out detailed consultations with clubs, informed by multiple opinions from expert and independent lawyers, to draft rule changes addressing the necessary amendments to the system.

This relates to the integration of shareholder loan assessment, the removal of some of the amendments made to the APT rules earlier this year and changes to the process by which relevant information from the 'data bank ' of the league is shared with a club's advisors.

The purpose of the RPT rules is to ensure that clubs cannot benefit from commercial agreements or cost reductions other than fair market value (FMV) by virtue of relationships with associated parties. These rules were introduced to provide a robust mechanism to safeguard the financial stability, integrity and competitive balance of the league.