Premier League clubs to hold 'emergency meeting' to discuss Man City after champions claim victory over top-flight in legal case

City had been prevented from agreeing lucrative sponsorship deals with club-associated companies by the Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules, which were put into practice by the Premier League back in December 2021 after Newcastle's takeover by a Saudi-led consortium. However, a judgement on Monday has declared the APT rules to be unlawful.

The ruling could have huge ramifications for the 19 other Premier League clubs, who are planning to hold an emergency meeting next week to discuss City's legal win, according to ITV and Sky Sports. The reason why the APT rules were deemed unlawful is because they failed to take into consideration the interest-free loans that shareholders lend to clubs, a point that was argued by City's lawyers. The ITV report further claims that the English top-flight clubs currently enjoy £1.5 billion of these shareholder loans.

At the time of implementing the APT rules, the Premier League had backing from clubs like Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, West Ham United, Brentford, Bournemouth, Fulham, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The English top-flight will get back underway after the international break on October 19, as Tottenham Hotspur host West Ham in the opening match of gameweek eight.