Liverpool handed Man City verdict after PL ruling with 'ugly' twist to come

Man City and the Premier League are both claiming victory after a legal fight over APT rules

Liverpool handed Man City verdict after Premier League ruling with 'ugly' twist to come

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Man City are claiming a major victory over the Premier League after an independent panel deemed elements of the associated party transaction rules "unlawful". The ruling could have major ramifications for the rest of the league, with Liverpool said to have been one of the sides to have provided evidence.

However the Premier League have released a statement welcoming the decision and claiming the overall findings "endorse" the APT rules. The league believe that parts of the rules that were deemed unlawful can be "quickly and effectively be remedied".

The champions brought a legal fight after alleging to have been prevented from striking major deals with partners due to the rules, which were brought in back in 2021 after the Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle United.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have long been supporters of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and have pushed to keep a level playing field among the clubs in the league, with owner John Henry telling the ECHO he was in support of spending rules to ensure such balance of competition.

But what does the ruling mean for Liverpool? Our ECHO writers have had their say:

Ian Doyle

The familiar sound of spin could be heard the moment the verdict was made public.

On one side, Manchester City were thanking “the distinguished members of the Arbitral Tribunal for their work” while, on the other, the Premier League stated they welcomed the findings which “endorsed the overall objectives, framework and decision-making of the APT System”.

Both were claiming a victory. But the fact City were without doubt spinning the most frenetically suggests they were unable to ultimately achieve what they wanted.

The reality, though, is nobody has won. Certainly not the Premier League as an entity and most definitely not football as a whole.

This is an unseemly business that in truth should be reserved for behind the scenes rather than, as is becoming the case with City, an opportunity for their powers-that-be to look to flex their muscles in public.

While unrelated to the small matter of 115 allegations of financial breaches, this must be regarded as the opening round of a battle between City and the authorities that will dominate the news cycle for months to come.

Remember when football was won and lost on the pitch? Great then, wasn’t it?

And City should be mindful of that fact. No amount of millions spent on expensive legal representation can spin away that reality. Things are about to become very ugly indeed.

Joe Rimmer

It appears as though the arguments between the Premier League and Manchester City didn't end in the courtroom. Because neither side can even agree on who has won.

City were quick to claim victory and the majority of media reporting in the wake of the ruling seems to support their stance. Certainly the use of the word "unlawful" within the ruling can't be a good thing for the Premier League.

But then the league were quick to respond with a promise to make "quick and effective" changes to support the APT rules.

What's clear from this for Liverpool and the other clubs watching on, though, is that the ongoing scrap over the 115+ charges hanging over City is anything but straightforward and the outcome may not be so clear-cut.

And in the process of putting up a magnifying glass to the league's rules, Liverpool and others are going find themselves affected. Indeed, this ruling claimed that loans to clubs from shareholders were deemed unfair - of which the Reds are believed to have around £71million.

Both the Premier League and City are ready to keep fighting and do whatever it takes to win, and it means whoever is challenging Pep Guardiola's is going to do so against the backdrop of off-the-pitch issues for the foreseeable future.

Beth Lindop

And so the first of many 'landmark' rulings has been made. Over the coming weeks and months, we can expect such terminology to become increasingly commonplace in the football landscape as the intricacies of Manchester City's ongoing legal battle with the Premier League are unpicked and scrutinised to the Nth degree.

A tribunal has, in the words of the League, “endorsed the overall objectives, framework and decision-making of the APT system”, which pertains to commercial spending by state and multi-club ownerships. City, meanwhile, claim they are the victors after two aspects of the APT rules were deemed unlawful.

But while both they and the League claim they are the 'winners' in this situation, it is clear the biggest loser is football itself. Gone are the days of simply supporting the action on the pitch - now it is triumphs in the courtroom that seemingly carry greater weight.

The ramifications of this latest twist in the saga will likely become clearer further down the line. That Liverpool were reportedly among the teams to defend the League on this matter is a pretty clear indicator of how the Anfield hierarchy will be viewing the tribunal's ruling. Certainly, the fallout from Monday's verdict is likely to continue resonating for a very long time.

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