Latest news with #RuleB18
Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Man City 'demand sensitive information' from Arsenal as Premier League feud turns ugly
Manchester City are still awaiting to hear the verdict of their ongoing legal battle with the Premier League - but the dethroned champions have made a demand that involves their top-flight rivals Arsenal could become one of a host of clubs embroiled in Manchester City 's ongoing feud with the Premier League following a fresh demand from lawyers. City have been at the heart of a spat with league chiefs relating to their sponsorship deals for some time. They won a landmark ruling last year when an independent panel adjudged that the Premier League's Associated Party Transaction rules (APT) which monitored loans from shareholders between December 2021 and November 2024 were null and void. The Premier League were forced to write up a new set of regulations but City have argued that the new regulations continue to discriminate. And last season's champions have now argued that a host of their rivals should be obliged to provide 'sensitive and key financial information' regarding their own shareholder loans, as claimed by Mail Online. It is suggested that Arsenal, Brighton and Everton are all among the clubs at the heart of City's request - all of those sides having benefitted from shareholder loans over recent seasons. Arsenal received around £259m from their shareholders in the 2022/23 campaign, while Liverpool reportedly owed their owners £71.1m in 2023. Brighton and Everton's figures sit at an eye-watering £406.5m and £450m for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 season respectively. City have reportedly suggested that shareholder loans give clubs who bank them unfair advantages as they are not put under the microscope compared to other commercial deals. And as a result, they want the Premier League to use its own Rule B18 which states that clubs 'shall comply promptly with any request for information'. An independent panel will consider the request at a hearing in mid-October. City's latest request is separate to that of their 115 alleged breaches, with a verdict on that case still to come. Speaking in February, Pep Guardiola suggested he was awaiting a verdict imminently - albeit that is yet to arrive. And he fired back at suggestions that City had overspent. Talking in February, Guardiola said: "My words will not convince people. I know with this club it is always 'just about the money'. "But in the past five years, we are the last among the top six for net spend. Even after what we have spent in this transfer window, we are away from Chelsea, [Manchester] United, Arsenal, Tottenham. Even from Liverpool. The only reason why is we sell a lot in the last seasons." City have endured a difficult season under Guardiola having lost their crown to Liverpool - albeit they could still win the FA Cup and secure a spot in next season's Champions League.
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Man City demand key financial information from Arsenal and other clubs in legal battle with Premier League
Arsenal - and a host of others – could be forced to hand over key and sensitive financial information following a demand from Manchester City. As City's war with the Premier League continues, Mail Sport understands that lawyers acting for the club have requested that the competition invokes one of its own rules and force a group of clubs which also includes the likes of Brighton and Everton to provide detail on loans they have received from their owners. City want to then use the information in their latest battle with the competition over its amended rules on sponsorship deals. They say that new regulations on Associated Party Transactions (APTs) – introduced by the Premier League after City successfully had the previous version deemed null and void – continue to discriminate. Their view is that shareholder loans, which often feature favourable or zero interest rates, give clubs who receive them, such as the Gunners, an unfair advantage as they are not subject to the same scrutiny as other commercial deals. All clubs have been informed of the request and will now face a wait to find if they have to comply. The likelihood of that being the case may well have caused a headache for the powers-that-be at the Emirates as they prepared for tonight's Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain. Arsenal benefitted from £259m worth of shareholder loans in 2022-23 while, in 2023, Liverpool owed owners FSG £71.4m. Brighton benefitted from shareholder loans of around £406.5m in 2021-22 while Everton's figure for 2022-23 was £450m. An independent panel, which previously ruled in City's favour, is set to consider the matter at a hearing in mid-October. Ahead of that date, representatives for City have asked the Premier League to use its Rule B18 which states that clubs 'shall comply promptly with any request for information'. After their previous victory, City warned the competition against effectively tweaking rules on APTs, which are commercial deals with groups linked to clubs' ownerships. They have now carried through on their threat to take legal action against them. Following their initial success, clubs were hit with a bill of more than £20m. The case is separate from the hearing into allegations that saw City charged with 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules. A verdict may not be delivered until next Spring. Should City again emerge successful the Premier League could see its financial rules thrown into disarray once more with its clubs hit with another hefty legal bill. The Premier League declined to comment.
