Manchester City are once again involved in a legal battle with the Premier League, whom they have accused of giving preferential treatment to certain clubs on financial grounds.
This case is not related to the 115 breaches of financial fair play rules that the club is already facing.
Back in 2024, Man City won the legal case against the Premier League’s Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules, which evaluate whether deals between clubs and entities related to their ownership represent fair market value.
The English club accused the competition of having discriminated against them after proposed deals with Etihad Airways and First Abu Dhabi Bank were blocked in 2023.
While the case was ruled in City’s favor, the Premier League faced a massive setback, having their sponsorship rules declared invalid, as reported by The Daily Mail’s Mike Keegan.
Now, the aforementioned journalist has reported that City have filed a new suit against the Premier League.
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This time, the club have claimed that the discrimination against them continues to prevail despite amended sponsorship regulations, while four other teams are being given preferential treatment.
Man City have reportedly cited that the Premier League have enabled four clubs unfair advantages worth a total of £1.4 billion.
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Which are the clubs namechecked in Man City’s new lawsuit against the Premier League
Man City have filed a pretty detailed lawsuit of 88 pages against the Premier League, where they have provided alleged evidence against the clubs.
Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion, Everton, and Leicester City are the ones who have been accused of being on the receiving end of the competition’s reported unjust partiality.
City has claimed that Arsenal have reportedly received £259 million in loans from owners during the 2022–23 season, while Brighton got around £406.5 million in 2021–22.
Everton, meanwhile, are also said to have received £450 million in 2022–23, and Leicester gained approximately £265 million in 2021–22.
Along with citing these massive numbers, City have also claimed that these amounts depict a significant economic boost that has not been considered under the same regulatory standards as their own sponsorship-linked income.
Several reports suggested that this case will be handled by the same panel, which includes Sir Nigel Teare, Lord Dyson, and Christopher Vajda KC, who ruled the last one in City’s favor.
If Man City manage to win this legal battle against the Premier League, the competition’s financial rules will be ruled out while accountable clubs will be ordered to pay some hefty amounts as penalties.
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