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Victor Petkov
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Manchester City and Premier League reach mutual agreement over sponsor rules dispute
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The Citizens agreed that the rules are “valid and binding”

Manchester City and the Premier League have reached a settlement in their long-running dispute over regulations surrounding commercial partnerships.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, both parties confirmed that City have accepted the rules on associated party transactions (APT) as “valid and binding,” bringing an end to the legal challenge the club had mounted against the league. “Neither the Premier League nor the club will be making any further comment about the matter,” the statement read.

City had argued that the regulations introduced in 2021, designed to prevent clubs from inflating revenue through sponsorships with companies linked to their owners, were “unlawful.” The Premier League, however, maintained the rules were crucial to ensuring financial fairness across the competition.

Last year, an independent arbitration panel sided with the club on aspects of the case, but in November 2024 a majority of Premier League teams voted in favor of strengthening the APT regulations, despite City’s opposition.

Here is the whole official statement: 

“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.”