Richard Masters breaks silence in letter to Leicester City after Manchester City bombshell.
Latest Leicester City news from LeicestershireLive as the row over APT transactions rumbles on with the Premier League chief executive now getting in touch with member clubs, including the Foxes.
Richard Masters has written to Leicester City and fellow member clubs to say the Premier League is taking the “necessary time” to develop amendments to key sponsorship rules.
The move comes after the Premier League and Manchester City locked legal horns over associated party transactions with the latter claiming victory in their arbitration battle.
APT rules ensure that sponsorship deals with companies linked to clubs’ owners represent fair market value and City had some complaints upheld and two aspects of the rules were deemed unlawful. Now, in a letter sent by Premier League chief executive Masters, he hints at a possible delay to a key meeting to discuss the situation.
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“There have been many club conversations over recent days, with constructive and informative feedback provided,” he wrote. “We now have a comprehensive set of information and data which is helping to inform our recommended approach and rule amendment drafting.
“We are taking the necessary time to develop our proposals and the associated draft rule amendments for club consideration. We will circulate these to clubs when fully considered and ready, which may impact on the scheduling of our planned meetings with Financial Controls and Legal Advisory Groups, and all clubs next week.”
The news comes after it was claimed Nottingham Forest “might” prove to be an ally to Manchester City over their challenge about financial controls in the Premier League.
City have been in touch with all other clubs in the aftermath of a major ruling in its ongoing case against the top flight – and told rivals that the league’s interpretation was ‘incorrect’. They are offering to assist any club that “has questions” having taken on the Premier League regarding commercial deals involving club owners.
A 175-page verdict leaves the Premier League now needing to get 14 of its 20 clubs to back a re-stated form of APT rules to prevent what is described in the Daily Mail as “sponsorship becoming a source of vast financial imbalance”.
However, the Mail reports: “A number of clubs expect City to dominate with a lengthy exposition of the failings of the current system — and the Premier League will not even be attempting to lay out a timetable for a new APT system. Some clubs are expected to attend in person and some online.”
Aston Villa are claimed to be “sympathetic to City’s stance”, along with Saudi-owned Newcastle United and Chelsea, who have received billions of pounds in Saudi investment. Everton have backed City too and it is claimed that Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis “might prove another ally”.
Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, West Ham, Brentford, Bournemouth, Fulham and Wolves have supported the Premier League. Leicester City’s stance is unknown, but they have had a well-documented run-in with the top-flight over PSR, a battle the club won to stave off the threat of a damaging points deduction.
