The battle between Manchester City and the Premier League takes another turn | OneFootball

Yesterday saw Manchester City claim a victory of sorts over the Premier League. The champions had some complaints upheld after they challenged sections of the Premier League’s Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules. But the Premier League also released a statement yesterday stating that they had also had of victory of sorts in the ongoing case. From here the entire situation has taken another turn based on a new report that has emerged today.

Manchester City released a statement on mancity.com after the decision by the independent panel was announced. It can be seen below courtesy of CityXtra’s X account. But now it seems that the saga is set to rumble on after a new report from respected reporter Mike Keegan.

The battle between Manchester City and the Premier League takes another turn.

Mike Keegan has reported for the Daily Mail that Manchester City have written to every Premier League club rubbishing the statement released by the Premier League yesterday. Keegan adds that the world champions have accused league bosses of ‘misleading’ sides by providing ‘inaccuracies’. Furthermore, Keegan quotes pieces from Manchester City’s message to the 19 other Premier League clubs. The stand-out quotes in Keegan’s piece are: “Regrettably, the (league’s) summary is misleading and contains several inaccuracies. Of even greater concern, is the Premier League’s suggestion that new APT rules should be passed within the next 10 days. When the Premier League consulted on and proposed the original APT Rules in late 2021, we pointed out that the process (which took several weeks) was rushed, ill-thought-out and would result in anti-competitive rules. The recent Award has validated those concerns entirely.”

The entire situation after yesterday’s Award continues to develop.

It is clear, based on Mike Keegan’s report, that the battle between Manchester City and the Premier League is continuing to develop. The world champions made a point in the statement of highlighting the fact that sections of the Premier League’s APT rules are unlawful. Also, the statement released by City made a point of emphasising the fact that the Premier League had ‘abused its dominant position’. Those statements are damning for the Premier League. That fact cannot overlooked.

But where it becomes murky is the Premier League’s actions. Included in Mike Keegan’s report is the following in the message from Manchester City’s general counsel Simon Cliff to the other Premier League clubs: “In recent correspondence, the Premier League agreed with MCFC that this is an issue which will need to be resolved by the Tribunal. It is, therefore, remarkable that the Premier League is now seeking to involve the member clubs in a process to amend the APT Rules. At a time when it does not even know the status of those rules.”

Surely the Premier League can’t push on as is. Now that a section of the APT rules has been ruled unlawful, they must be reviewed thoroughly. They also must amended correctly. It can’t go down a familiar road that ends with another costly legal battle. Whether that is between Manchester City and the Premier League or another club. At some point, the status quo must change for the good of the game.

Summary

The battle between Manchester City and the Premier League continues to develop. On the APT front it appears set to continue. Manchester City had their victory yesterday. That appears clear. Now it’s time the matter was resolved correctly so the entire game can move forward. Or Manchester City, the Premier League or perhaps another club will be going down this familiar route in the not too distant future.