Key Premier League vote – Will Newcastle United vote with Manchester City, Aston Villa and others? | OneFootball

The 20 Premier League clubs will meet in London tomorrow.

Top of the agenda is a planned vote on amendments to the existing rules on associated party transactions (APTs).

These are deals between clubs and parties linked to their owners.

The Premier League forced to act after an independent panel found sections of the existing rules on associated party transactions (APTs) to be unlawful.

This of course came from a situation involving Manchester City and the Premier League.

Ahead of this planned vote on Friday, Manchester City have called on the other 19 Premier League clubs to vote against the amendments, accusing the Premier League of trying to rush the consultation process. Manchester City saying that further legal action could be the result if these amendments are passed, as they claim that in their opinion, the new arrangements could still not be legally sound.

For the Premier League to carry the vote tomorrow, the changes would need the support of 14 clubs.

Aston Villa have already gone public (see below) in saying they will vote with Manchester City against them.

The Mail have now reported (see below) that their information is that the vote is on a knife edge and Newcastle United are one of the clubs that are ‘closely considering their positions.’

The report naming Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Wolves and Everton as also amongst those believed to be potentially thinking about voting with Villa and Manchester City.

The Mail report – 20 November 2024:

‘The vote over sponsorship rules – at the centre of a furious battle between the Premier League and Manchester City – is believed to be on a knife edge, with 24 hours to go.

On Friday, top-flight sides will gather in London for a crunch summit which is expected to be followed by a ballot.

The competition has been forced to act after an independent panel found sections of the existing rules on associated party transactions (APTs) – deals between clubs and parties linked to their owners – to be unlawful after a legal challenge from City.

However, the champions have called on clubs to vote against the amendments, have accused the Premier League of rushing its consultation and have raised the prospect of further legal action should they be enforced.

To obtain the green light, the changes would need the support of 14 clubs. However, Aston Villa have already come out in support of City. Others, including Saudi-owned Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Wolves and Everton are thought to be closely considering their positions.

The meeting is of huge significance with many factors at play. Previous votes have seen abstentions and City’s threat of potentially-costly further legal action has not gone unnoticed across the league.

A vote that fails would also increase the pressure on Premier League chief executive Richard Masters and has the potential to have huge implications, according to those close to the matter.

On Tuesday it emerged that Aston Villa had written to the rest of the league and urged the competition to call off the vote. And on Wednesday, owner Nassef Sawiris gave a statement in which he explained the reasoning, claiming the ’embattled’ Premier League needs a ‘fresh start’.

Sawiris, Egypt’s richest man, also told the Daily Telegraph of his concerns over ‘astronomical’ fees involved in the legal challenges and the need to present a ‘united front’ to the government ahead of the arrival of an independent regulator.

Sawiris confirmed Villa would be voting against the amendments and called on a further 90 days of reflection that would increase the chances of a subsequently unanimous vote.