‘Emergency meeting’ planned by Premier League after Manchester City’s ‘seismic’ legal victory | OneFootball

The Premier League are set to arrange an ’emergency meeting’ with all 20 of its clubs after Manchester City’s ‘seismic victory’ over Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules.

A statement issued by Manchester City on Monday afternoon issued a scathing assessment of their victory over the Premier League with regards to a challenge of the division’s APT rules in front of an independent tribunal.

In a statement issued on Manchester City’s official club website, it was made clear by the Premier League champions, “Following today’s publication of the Rule X Arbitral Tribunal Award, Manchester City Football Club thanks the distinguished members of the Arbitral Tribunal for their work and considerations and welcomes their findings:

–          The Club has succeeded with its claim: the Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules have been found to be unlawful and the Premier League’s decisions on two specific MCFC sponsorship transactions have been set aside

–          The Tribunal found that both the original APT rules and the current, (amended) APT Rules violate UK competition law and violate the requirements of procedural fairness.

–          The Premier League was found to have abused its dominant position.

–          The Tribunal has determined both that the rules are structurally unfair and that the Premier League was specifically unfair in how it applied those rules to the Club in practice.

–          The rules were found to be discriminatory in how they operate, because they deliberately excluded shareholder loans.

–          As well as these general findings on legality, the Tribunal has set aside specific decisions of the Premier League to restate the fair market value of two transactions entered into by the Club.

–          The tribunal held that the Premier League had reached the decisions in a procedurally unfair manner.

–          The Tribunal also ruled that there was an unreasonable delay in the Premier League’s fair market value assessment of two of the Club’s sponsorship transactions, and so the Premier League breached its own rules.”

In direct response, following some element of disappointment from clubs that issued support for the Premier League and also acted as witnesses for the top-flight against Manchester City, a meeting is expected to take place next week.

That is according to the information of MailSport’s Mike Keegan, who reports that the Premier League are set to call an emergency meeting of all 20 clubs next week in order to discuss the ramifications and what is next after City’s battle over Associated Party Transaction rules.

Additional reporting from The Times has also revealed that the Premier League themselves privately insist there will be no vote on amendments to the Associated Party Transaction rules at next week’s emergency meeting.

In light of the Premier League’s own statement on the matter, in which the top-flight claimed victory in the legal battle with Manchester City, general counsel of the Etihad Stadium club, Simon Cliff sent an email to all other 19 clubs on Monday evening.

It is now understood that Cliff and Manchester City ‘rubbished’ the Premier League’s statement on the legal battle over Associated Party Transaction rules, accusing top-flight bosses of ‘misleading’ sides by providing ‘inaccuracies’ in their statement.

Cliff went on to warn, as per MailSport, “This is the time for careful reflection and consideration 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.”