Premier League clubs call emergency meeting as Man City legal battle escalates
The Premier League are involved in a legal battle with Manchester City, with a judgement on sponsorship rules earlier this week causing fresh disagreements between the two parties
by Jacob Leeks · The MirrorPremier League clubs have called an emergency meeting as the civil war with Manchester City escalates.
The reigning champions have been charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League's Financial Fair Play rules. A commission is currently investigating, though their judgement is not expected to be made public for some time.
Those charges are not the only points of disagreement between the two parties. Earlier this week, both the Premier League and City claimed victory from a tribunal ruling on sponsorship rules.
League chiefs emailed the other 19 top-flight clubs to play down the significance of the verdict. That caused fury at the Etihad Stadium, with City's legal conusel then sending an email of their own slamming the Premier League.
League chief executive Richard Masters claimed the tribunal had, on the whole, backed their associated party transaction (APT) rules but ‘identified a small number of elements… which do not, in their current form, comply with competition and public law requirements’.
He added that changes could ‘quickly and effectively be remedied’. In response, City effectively accused the Premier League of lying in a lengthy message to all clubs and the League themselves.
According to the Daily Mail, the 20 clubs will now hold an emergency meeting next Thursday to discuss their next steps. The 'big-hitters' from each team are expected to attend, though the location of the meeting is currently unknown.
The Premier League are expected to face serious questions over the work of their legal department. But a vote on amendments to APTs will not take place despite the verdict.
City are said to have received messages of support from multiple clubs, though some feel they overstepped with their email. Premier League officials meanwhile have rejected any notion that Masters’ email was misleading or inaccurate.
The Premier League said in a statement: "The Premier League welcomes the Tribunal’s findings, which endorsed the overall objectives, framework and decision-making of the APT system.
"The Tribunal upheld the need for the APT system as a whole and rejected the majority of Manchester City’s challenges. Moreover, the Tribunal found that the Rules are necessary in order for the League’s financial controls to be effective."
City responded to that with a furious email from club general counsel Simon Cliff. He wrote: "Regrettably the (League’s) summary is misleading and contains several inaccuracies. This is the time for careful reflection by all clubs, and not for a knee-jerk reaction.
"Such an unwise course would be likely to lead to further legal proceedings with further legal costs. It is critical for member clubs to feel they can have trust in their regulator."
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