Premier League facing 'civil war' as clubs left 'stunned' by Man City court case and 'annoyed' by threat of further legal action

Per Sky Sports, City’s general counsel, Simon Cliff, reached out to all the other top-flight clubs via email on Tuesday following the tribunal verdict concerning Associated Party Transactions (APT) rules. The reigning champions accused the Premier League of "misleading" the clubs in its summary of the findings as they believe the league's statement misrepresented key aspects of the tribunal’s findings.

Now the Independent and The Telegraph report that the email from the Cityzens has left the Premier League facing a "civil war" as almost all the top-flight clubs are "stunned" and "annoyed" by the champions. Some executives have even described the issue as "seriously escalating" before Thursday's emergency meeting.

It was earlier reported that Chelsea, Newcastle United, and Everton had aligned with City, providing witness testimonies in their favour. However, the latest email episode has now angered the allies as well, according to the Independent's report.

In Thursday's meeting, the 20 Premier League clubs will discuss the amendments in the APT rules before sending them to the Premier League's financial group and legal advisory ahead of a final vote.