Premier League face staggering eight-figure legal bill from Manchester City battles over sponsorship rules | OneFootball

Manchester City are expecting the Premier League to cover its own legal costs having defeated the top-flight in the first part of a dispute over sponsorship rules.

The latest development concerning Manchester City and the Premier League’s off-the-field battles come as the former launched a new claim against the division, accusing them of giving rival clubs an unfair advantage.

Those clubs include Arsenal, who have also been at the centre of opposition to both of City’s last two top-flight titles, as Etihad officials claimed shareholder loans were being treated differently from other sponsorship deals with entities linked to owners.

Battles involving Manchester City and the Premier League in a legal capacity have been ongoing for a number of years now, and with the bill mounting for some of the professions finest legal minds, financing such an operation is hitting heights never before seen.

But with conclusions being reached in several cases, and with the outcome of the widely spoken about 115 charges on the horizon, it appears as though legal bills are now being rectified and put to losing parties to pay for.

According to a new report from The Times’ Matt Lawton and Martyn Ziegler, the Premier League could face a legal bill of more than £20 million after losing the first part of its dispute with Manchester City over sponsorship rules.

It is explained that with City expecting the league to cover the expense of a legal team, led by Lord Pannick KC and Paul Harris KC, that claimed victory in the first part of the APT battle, the bill amounts to well north of £10 million for the Etihad Stadium side alone.

From the perspective of the Premier League’s lawyers, the report states that they are likely to point out it was not its decision to become embroiled in such a lengthy legal battle with Etihad Stadium bosses and representatives of the club.

On the subject of Manchester City’s 115 charges for alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules, Pep Guardiola recently spoke of the lack of verdict emerging during the recent March international break – as some expected.

“We are more than one year with that, so nothing changes if we have one more week, two more weeks, or three more weeks… or four more weeks,” Guardiola told reporters during a recent press conference.