Manchester City have accused the Premier League of being “misleading” over the verdict in its landmark legal case on rules over commercial deals.
City have written to top-flight clubs criticising the league’s summary of the case verdict, saying it contains “several inaccuracies”.
The letter to the 19 clubs and the league, seen by the BBC, was sent by City’s general counsel Simon Cliff on Monday.
Both sides have claimed victory after the decision of an arbitration panel was published on Monday following a legal challenge by City against the league’s associated party transaction (APT) rules.
City, who are owned by the Abu Dhabi-backed City Football Group, had some complaints upheld, with two aspects of the APT rules deemed unlawful by a tribunal.
They have claimed their legal action had “succeeded”.
However, the Premier League also welcomed the tribunal’s findings, saying it rejected the majority of Manchester City’s challenges and “endorsed the overall objectives, framework and decision-making of the APT system”.
APTs are aimed at sponsorship deals with companies linked to clubs’ owners, ensuring they are of fair market value.
City are not commenting on the letter.
The Premier League has also declined to comment, but a senior source has told BBC Sport that it rejects any view that its summary of the ruling was misleading or inaccurate.
A consultation with the clubs is now under way. They are meeting next Thursday to discuss the fallout, but there will be no vote at that stage.
This case is not directly related to the Premier League disciplinary commission, which will hear 115 charges against City for allegedly breaching its financial regulations, some of which date back to 2009. City deny wrongdoing.
Credit: bbc.com
