Manchester City reach settlement with Premier League on APTs dispute – What does it mean for Newcastle United? | OneFootball

Manchester City and the Premier League have reached an agreement regarding their Associated Party Transaction (APT) dispute.

What it means for Newcastle United now, remains to be seen.

Looking from the outside, you might be forgiven for thinking that it looks like this cosy settlement will leave Manchester City AND the Premier League more than happy with the outcome, BUT as for Newcastle United and potentially other clubs….it remains to be seen.

The agreement between the two means that….

Manchester City accept that the current APT rules are valid and binding.

Premier League allow Man City to complete a ‘hugely lucrative long-term deal with Etihad Airways’ that could be worth as much as £1billion.

The Newcastle United owners appear to have been very passive with this whole sponsorship area.

There are numerous sponsorship arrangements that the NUFC owners haven’t even bothered utilising, such as a sponsor for the training ground amongst other things.

Never mind the Newcastle United owners really pushing it when it comes to the big deals.

The £25million a year shirt sponsorship deal with Sela looks very much on the cheap side if anything, especially when you are talking about a club that won a trophy six months ago and is playing Champions League football for a second time in three seasons.

‘Manchester City have reached a settlement with the Premier League in their latest legal challenge over sponsorship rules, enabling them to now complete a hugely lucrative long-term deal with Etihad Airways.

In March City issued a new claim in response to the Premier League’s attempt to amend sponsorship rules that had been declared unlawful and void by an independent tribunal: a verdict that amounted to a crushing defeat for league officials.

But on Monday the Premier League informed clubs that the matter had been resolved without requiring a tribunal, with City conceding some ground in allowing the new rules on Associated Party Transactions (APTs) to stay in place, having received assurances that they will not be treated differently when securing sponsorship with companies linked to their Abu Dhabi-based owners.

The APT rules are designed to maintain the competitiveness of the Premier League by preventing clubs from inflating commercial deals with companies linked to their owners.

A statement released on Manchester City and the Premier League’s website read: “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 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.”

The agreement is not related to City’s 130 alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations, with the judgment on that case expected to land in the coming weeks.

City had been at war with the Premier League over the APT rules that were initially introduced after the Saudi-led takeover at Newcastle United, with their legal challenge prompted in 2023 by the blocking of a proposed deal with Etihad Airways to sponsor City’s shirts and provide naming rights for their stadium. The Premier League said it was not considered to be of “fair market value”.

The previous deal, signed in 2011, was worth £400million over ten years and, while the value of the new agreement is a closely guarded secret, it is expected to significantly boost the revenue of the eight-times Premier League champions, and could be worth as much as £1billion.’