Man City and Premier League reach settlement over dispute before October trial

Manchester City and the Premier League have settled out of court ahead of an October trial into Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules. The regulations were put in place to govern commercial and sponsorship deals.

City had challenged the rules earlier this year and the case was due to go to court next month. But that will now not happen after a settlement was reached.

Under the settlement, City accept that the current rules governing APT are “valid and binding”.

The ruling is not related to the 115 charges the Premier League brought against City for alleged financial wrongdoing.

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In a statement, City said: "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."

In November last year, Premier League clubs voted by a margin of 16 to 4 to amend the rules on Associated Party Transactions. The APT rules assess whether deals between clubs and entities linked to their ownership represent fair market value.

City's legal team claimed that even the tweaked regulations were discriminatory. City believed rivals including Arsenal would continue to enjoy an unfair advantage even with the changes put in force.

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