Man City FFP: The ‘maximum’ time it will take before APT verdict amid ‘agenda’ warning

Man City and the Premier League’s first legal battle “could take another six months” to reach a verdict, according to former Everton CEO Keith Wyness.

The Citizens’ legal challenge against Premier League financial rules was heard in June, which could have hugely significant consequences for the English top flight.

The Premier League champions have challenged the league’s associated party transaction (APT) rules in a hearing which ended on June 21, with the verdict yet to be released.

It is believed that Man City has challenged the validity of the rules under UK competition law.

The Times , which first reported details of Man City’s claim in early June , said the club were seeking to scrap the rules, which were first introduced in December 2021 following the Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle and were most recently strengthened in February.

The rules are designed to ensure any commercial deal or player transfer between a club and entities with links to that club’s ownership are conducted at fair market value, so that club revenues are not artificially inflated.

If an arbitration panel declares the APT rules invalid, then clubs would effectively be free to do any commercial deals they wished without any independent judgement being made on whether those deals were for fair market value.

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That could then in turn help clubs boost their declared revenue and give them greater leeway on transfer and wages spending under financial sustainability rules. There are fears it could lead to the clubs whose owners have the deepest pockets – Man City and Newcastle – effectively being in a league of their own in terms of spending.

It is unclear what, if any, bearing this claim could have on the separate matter of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League against City over alleged breaches of the league’s financial rules. A hearing in that case is expected to begin in the autumn. Man City strenuously deny any wrongdoing.

And former Everton CEO Wyness reckons the verdict from the APT case could take as many as “six months” to be revealed.

Wyness told Football Insider : “It could go on past the start of the new season. Once you’re in the legal rabbit hole, all sorts of challenges and appeals can come in.

“It could take another six months, at the maximum. But I’d hope they’d have it resolved sooner rather than later.

“One of the parties, Premier League or Man City, could have an agenda meaning they want to drag it out for longer.

“That’s what we don’t know, so we’ll have to wait and see.”