Manchester City Wins Legal Challenge Over Premier League Sponsorship Rules
A tribunal has declared financial rules governing sponsorship deals between 2021 and 2024 void, potentially exposing the Premier League to further lawsuits.
- An independent tribunal ruled that the Premier League's Associated Party Transactions (APT) rules from 2021 to 2024 were unlawful and void as a whole.
- The rules, introduced to prevent inflated sponsorship deals linked to club owners, were deemed unenforceable after three key elements were found unlawful.
- Manchester City's legal team argued successfully that the unlawful elements could not be severed from the broader framework of the APT rules.
- The ruling could open the door for other clubs to seek compensation for undervalued sponsorship deals during the affected period.
- Manchester City has launched a separate arbitration to challenge the updated APT rules introduced in November 2024, with a decision on their validity expected later this year.
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