Premier League issue statement on Man City’s case

They have provided a breaking statement on the official website.

This comes as reported by The Times that the Premier League’s sponsorship rules were declared unlawful.

It has been reported that it was ruled that City were unfairly blocked from agreeing two large sponsorship deals earlier this year.

Now, the Premier League have provided a statement on the ruling.

"The decision of an Arbitration Panel has been published following a legal challenge by Manchester City FC against the Premier League’s Associated Party Transaction (APT) Rules.

"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. 

"The decision represents an important and detailed assessment of the APT Rules, which ensure clubs are not able to benefit from commercial deals or reductions in costs that are not at Fair Market Value (FMV) by virtue of relationships with Associated Parties.

"These Rules were introduced to provide a robust mechanism to safeguard the financial stability, integrity and competitive balance of the League. 

"The Tribunal did, however, identify a small number of discrete elements of the Rules which do not, in their current form, comply with competition and public law requirements (more information below).

"These elements can quickly and effectively be remedied by the League and clubs. 

"In the meantime, the Premier League will continue to operate the existing APT system, taking into account the findings made by the Tribunal.

"While the Arbitration process is confidential, the Premier League and the Club have agreed to make public a redacted copy of the decision, withholding only confidential and commercially sensitive information."