Man City accused by other Premier League clubs of 'threatening and disruptive actions' as legal row takes nasty turn

The English champions - and their fans - made their feelings known to the Premier League's chief executive, Richard Masters, at a crisis meeting with clubs that turned "feisty", according to The Times. The summit was held following the landmark ruling on sponsorship deals, with City's legal director declaring all associated party transaction (APT) rules "void and unlawful" after seeing their huge new Etihad sponsorship deal rejected.

City launched a legal battle with the league after their attempts to secure a new sponsorship deal from the Etihad airline was deemed as being not of fair market value. A source has revealed that some of City's top-flight rivals are angry and have accused the club of being "threatening and disruptive". The dispute is set to rumble on, with concerns that the crisis won't be resolved until the end of the year.

Masters was called out by a City supporters' group in a mobile digital billboard parked at the Premier League's Paddington headquarters. "Richard's Masters" the billboard read, with the crests of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham underneath. The insinuation obviously is that Masters is under the control of City's rivals.

The Premier League told clubs that the majority of APT rules are lawful but some amendments are required. It's expected that at least 14 of the 20 clubs would vote in favour of the changes.