The Premier League has warned clubs there will be no quick fix as they seek to resolve the sponsorship row that has triggered civil war in the top flight.
In what appears to be a marked change of tone, chief executive Richard Masters wrote to sides on Friday to tell them officials would ‘take the necessary time’ as they attempt to change associated party transaction (APTs) rules following a successful legal challenge from Manchester City.
On Monday, Mail Sport revealed that a tribunal found the rules - aimed at preventing clubs from penning inflated sponsorship deals with companies linked to their owners – were unlawful.
City, currently defending themselves in a separate case around 115 alleged breaches of the top-flight’s financial regulations, launched the action after they had seen a number of deals blocked by the system, and can now claim damages from the competition.
However, in an upbeat message to clubs delivered on the same day the verdict was announced, Masters wrote that necessary amendments could be ‘quickly and effectively remedied’.
This prompted Man City general counsel Simon Cliff warning in an email that further legal action could be possible, accusing the Premier League of providing ‘inaccurate’ information
That prompted a furious response from City who, in an escalatory move, emailed all clubs and the league itself. They accused the Premier League of providing ‘misleading’ and ‘inaccurate’ information and the club’s legal counsel, Simon Cliff, emphatically rejected Masters’ suggestion new rules could be passed swiftly. Cliff warned against a ‘knee-jerk reaction’ and raised the prospect of further, potentially costly, legal action.
In the latest email, seen by Mail Sport, Masters thanks clubs for providing information on shareholder loans – whose exclusion from associated party transaction rules were one of the key issues identified by a panel.
He says that the league now has ‘a comprehensive set of information and data which is helping to inform our recommended approach and rule amendment drafting’.
Masters, who on Wednesday pulled out of a high-end Loch Lomond golf day with big-hitters from the Premier League’s major broadcast partners to deal with the crisis, adds that the competition is ‘taking the necessary time to develop our proposals…for club consideration’. He adds that he will be in touch on Monday with a further update but warns that planned meetings for next week on financial controls and with legal advisory groups may have to be rescheduled.
The Premier League declined to comment. Insiders at the league are encouraged by the response from clubs to their request for information following the result of the tribunal, which sent shockwaves through the game.
An emergency meeting of clubs to discuss the fallout from the hearing – and what happens next – has been arranged for Thursday. Key names from clubs across the Premier League – including Cliff – are expected to attend.