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Manchester City have landed a big victory in their first legal battle against the Premier League today (October 7). This comes amid the league taking City to court over 115 charges for breaching financial rules. That case has been ongoing since February 2023.
However, the Mancunian giants will be pleased about the court's ruling in another case, as they notably sued the Premier League for setting up Associated Party Transactions regulations. These regulations notably stopped City from completing new sponsorship deals with Etihad and a bank in Abu-Dhabi, where the club's owners are from.
There were questions raised about how clubs might be able to gain the sponsorship system by getting big financial deals from companies linked to their owners. However, Manchester City took the Premier League to court, with the claim that Associated Party Transactions regulations were unfair (via Daily Mail).
The Arbitral Tribunal, which oversaw the case, sided with the Cityzens, to which the club released a statement on their website:
"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."
It also added later in the statement:
"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 Manchester City statement also revealed:
"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."
It is unlikely that this ruling will affect the 115 charges, which City's focus will be on in the coming months.
Pep Guardiola wants to defend Manchester City amid 115 charges court case
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has made it clear that he is prepared to defend the club, despite the charges leveled against them. It is worth noting that the Cityzens have denied all charges, while the case is currently being heard behind closed doors.
The manager said during a press conference (via Manchester Evening News):
"The best way to defend the club is winning games. We cannot misunderstand the reason I'm here. At the same time I'm the person who talks more through the media and sends message to fans or wherever. Of course I want to defend my club."
It is uncertain how the case will turn out, with a football expert explaining that they could be docked between 60 and 100 points if they lose the case. In the meantime, Manchester City will hope their players can lead them to more trophies, including a fifth consecutive Premier League title.
