Man City ‘launch Premier League challenge’ amid 115 charges saga

Manchester City are reportedly taking legal action against the Premier League due to the league’s current sponsorship rules – with Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal all invited to participate in legal action.

The Times claims an arbitration hearing between City and the Premier League will start on June 10 and will last for two weeks as the Etihad outfit look to try and bring an end to the league’s Associated Party Transaction rules.

The APT rules were introduced in late 2021 and aim to ensure that clubs in the Premier League are competing on a level playing field, preventing clubs from signing inflated sponsorship deals and consequently giving them an advantage over their rivals. The report states that City believe such rules are “unlawful” and have resulted in the club being the victim of “discrimination”.

READ MORE: Mauricio Pochettino breaks silence amid Chelsea departure and Enzo Maresca appointment

READ MORE: Enzo Maresca to Chelsea: Behind the scenes of Eghbali effort, £10m fee and new boss’ request

The outcome of the hearing could have huge ramifications on City’s 115 charges that are due to be heard later this year with it alleged that the club’s owner Sheikh Mansour made unlawful payments to the club disguised as sponsorship deals, which the club denies. It is claimed the other 19 Premier League clubs will be invited to take action.

However, City argue that sponsors linked to the club’s owners should be allowed to “determine how much they want to pay” regardless of the valuation outlined by the league’s APT rules.

The Times also claims that City will argue that the voting system that concerns all shareholders – with 14 of the 20 clubs required to vote in favour of a new proposal – is wrong and gives the majority of clubs “unacceptable levels of control”.

The Premier League and City have both been approached for comment.