Club Statement
Man City Editorial
Mon 08 Sep 2025, 15:15
“The Premier League and Manchester City FC have reached a settlement in relation to the arbitration commenced by the club earlier this year concerning the Premier League’s Associated Party Transaction (APT) Rules and as a result the parties have agreed to terminate the proceedings.
This settlement brings an end to the dispute between the parties regarding the APT Rules. As part of the settlement, Manchester City accepts that the current APT Rules are valid and binding.
It has been agreed that neither the Premier League nor the club will be making any further comment about the matter.”
Today’s statement reflects a truce between Manchester City and the Premier League. City conceded on the APT rules but gained permission to finalize a valuable sponsorship deal—while the Premier League preserved its regulatory framework. Both sides agreed to let the matter rest—for now.
Manchester City “paid under the table”?!
They reached an agreement because they have highly paid lawyers 🙄🤑!?
There’s no evidence that Manchester City paid under the table in this settlement.
What they did was use top lawyers and legal strategy.
🔹 Why lawyers matter here:
City brought in high-powered legal teams to challenge the Premier League’s APT (sponsorship) rules.
These rules are complex, and the dispute was being handled in a specialist arbitration process.
Instead of fighting it all the way through (which could have dragged on for years), City’s lawyers negotiated a settlement: the club accepted the rules as valid, and the Premier League allowed City to move forward with their Etihad deal.
This isn’t unusual in big football cases — top clubs often use the very best lawyers to either win or negotiate settlements. It’s about legal muscle and strategy, not secret payments.
⚖️ So:
Settlement = lawyers & negotiation
In my opinion it’s an old story.
The law is only for small clubs.
Big rich clubs will always find a way to get around the law.
