Manchester City and the Premier League both claimed victory on Monday after the first of two important legal battles between them.
City, the four-time defending champion, is facing over 100 charges related to alleged financial violations. The club legally challenged one of the league’s main rules about financial fairness, called Associated Party Transaction (APT) Rules.
Both City and the league said they “welcomed” the results of an arbitration panel. City stated that the rules were found to be “unlawful” and that the league had “abused its dominant position.”
The league, on the other hand, said the tribunal ruled that the rules were “necessary” and rejected most of Manchester City’s challenges.
APT rules aim to make sure that fair market value is applied to business deals with organizations closely related to club owners, helping to maintain the “competitive balance” of soccer’s most popular league.
The tribunal’s findings were released on Monday, and City responded with a proud statement.
“The club has succeeded with its claim: the Associated Party Transaction rules have been found to be unlawful and the Premier League’s decisions on two specific MCFC sponsorship transactions have been set aside,” it said.
City also mentioned that the tribunal found the rules to be “structurally unfair” and that the league was “specifically unfair” in how it applied them to the club backed by Abu Dhabi.
