Manchester City Take Legal Action Against EPL Over Allegations of Rules Violations

Manchester City have taken legal action against the English Premier League, setting the stage for an arbitration hearing scheduled to start Monday.

According to Matt Lawton of The Times, the legal action is in response to the EPL alleging that Manchester City breached the league's regulations and financial rules 115 times from 2009 to 2023.

Manchester City are reportedly attempting to eliminate the EPL's Associated Party Transaction rules, which are responsible for "preventing clubs from inflating commercial deals with companies linked to their owners."

Under the APT rules, commercial deals made by the owners of EPL teams must be "independently assessed to be of fair market value." However, Manchester City believe the rules are discriminatory, saying their rivals' acceptance of the rules are "tyranny of the majority."

Should an arbiter rule in Manchester City's favor, other EPL clubs are reportedly fearful that it will allow them to spend more freely and that it will give the club a much better chance of avoiding punishment for the 115 breaches it allegedly committed.

Per Lawton, between 10 and 12 of the other 19 EPL clubs are believed to have provided witness statements or a letter in support of the EPL against Manchester City's claims.

A hearing regarding the allegations against Manchester City is set for November, and the outcome could have a significant impact on the EPL as a whole.

It is alleged that Manchester City disguised payments made by owner Sheikh Mansour to third parties under the guise that they were sponsorship revenue.

If Manchester City are found guilty of some or all of the allegations against them, they could incur large fines or possibly even face relegation.

The Sky Blues are in the midst of one of the most successful runs in EPL history, having won four consecutive league titles, and six of the past seven.

City have also won the FA Cup, EFL Cup, FA Community Shield and UEFA Champions League during that timeframe.

This past season, the Citizens finished with 28 wins, seven draws and three losses for 91 points, placing them two points ahead of second-place Arsenal.