Exclusive: Premier League to change rules immediately after Man City 'victory'
Premier League officials will likely have to amend the associated party transaction (APT) rules immediately if Manchester City are successful in their case, sources have told Football Insider.
The English champions have taken legal action against the Premier League regarding the APT rules currently in place, with the club claiming the regulations are “unlawful”.
After a two-week private arbitration hearing took place in June, a decision is now expected to be delivered by the end of September.
The Times reported on 12 September Man City’s legal team are anticipating “some form of victory” after believing the hearing went well from their perspective.
Sources have told Football Insider the Premier League will have to quickly revise the APT rules before the 20 member clubs hold their next meeting if Man City are successful.
A relaxation of the rules would mean top-flight sides could potentially agree sponsorship deals as high as they wanted with no challenge, increasing the amount they could spend under the profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
Man City could have unlimited spending power after APT case
Four of Man City’s 10 biggest commercial and sponsorship deals at present are with companies linked to their Abu-Dhabi ownership group, including their stadium naming rights and shirt deal with Etihad Airways.
They have recorded a huge upturn in revenue over the past few years, largely down to their commercial revenue rising from £21million the season before the takeover took place in 2008 to £341.4million in 2022-23.
Football Insider revealed on 8 June Pep Guardiola’s side will have “unlimited spending power” if they manage to win their APT case against the Premier League.
Newcastle United are another club who could benefit from changes to the APT rules through their Saudi Arabian ownership group.
Finance expert Stefan Borson told Football Insider the Public Investment Fund (PIF) could look to strike Saudi deals for their training ground and other assets owned by the north-east giants.
It isn’t the only legal battle Man City are currently involved in after they were dealt 115 charges by the Premier League in February 2023 for allegedly breaching the financial fair play (FFP) rules over a nine-year period.
The hearing started on 16 September and is scheduled to last 10 weeks due to the complexity of the case.
But Borson told Football Insider the matter is unlikely to reach a full conclusion until the end of 2025 if any appeals are launched against the verdict.
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