Source:REUTERS/Matthew Childs
[Saba Sports News] According to UK media reports, Manchester City Football Club has reached a settlement with the Premier League and will accept the current Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules. The all-out war between Manchester City and the Premier League appears to be nearing an end, a development welcomed by both sides. Yesterday, both parties simultaneously published statements on their respective websites announcing a settlement regarding Manchester City’s legal challenge against the Premier League’s APT rules. That separate case, involving alleged financial misconduct, was heard in court a year ago and is still awaiting a verdict. The wording from Manchester City’s side is noteworthy; in this 97-word statement, there is no declaration of victory, nor any criticism of the APT rules – which are used to assess sponsorship deals to ensure they are not a means for owners to artificially inflate club revenue. However, one very important sentence appears in the brief settlement announcement: “Manchester City accepts that the current APT rules are valid and binding.” In short, Manchester City’s hope to completely overturn the APT mechanism has failed. Previously, Manchester City had argued in hearings that these rules were anti-competitive, discriminatory, and made them victims of “tyranny of the majority.”