Premier League chief Richard Masters breaks silence with letter to clubs after Man City bombshell

Richard Masters, the 's chief executive, has penned a letter to member clubs, confirming that the league is taking the 'necessary time' to develop amendments to sponsorship rules. This comes after both the Premier League and Manchester City claimed victory in their arbitration battle.

The champions have declared that associated party transactions (APT) have been found to be 'unlawful', while the Premier League maintains it will 'continue to operate the existing APT system, taking into account the findings made by the tribunal'. Now, the APT rules must incorporate the evaluation of shareholder loans and eliminate some of the amendments made to the regulations earlier this year.

Earlier this week, the Premier League stated it was 'conducting a process that can allow the league and clubs to enact those specific changes quickly and effectively'. However, Simon Cliff, Manchester City's general counsel, urged for 'careful reflection and consideration by all clubs, and not for a knee-jerk reaction' in a letter sent to top-flight sides.

Cliff, who deemed all APT rules to be 'void', cautioned that 'such an unwise course would be likely to lead to further legal proceedings'. Premier League chief Richard Masters has signaled a shift in approach, emphasizing the importance of careful consideration ahead of Thursday's emergency meeting.

In his statement, Masters highlighted the league's diligence: "There have been many club conversations over recent days, with constructive and informative feedback provided.

"We now have a comprehensive set of information and data which is helping to inform our recommended approach and rule amendment drafting."

"We are taking the necessary time to develop our proposals and the associated draft rule amendments for club consideration. We will circulate these to clubs when fully considered and ready, which may impact on the scheduling of our planned meetings with Financial Controls and Legal Advisory Groups, and all clubs next week."

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This comes as Manchester City has criticized the Premier League's reliance on what they call 'fear-mongering' about Newcastle United's takeover in their push for APT rules, mirroring Amanda Staveley's previous remarks that there was 'a fear that we'd have an unfair advantage', despite Newcastle's relegation struggles at the time.

It was quite revealing that the tribunal acknowledged there was no document recording any discussion about a revision to PSR rules until Masters wrote to all member clubs just a few days after receiving an email from an executive on behalf of 11 clubs requesting a vote on introducing a short-term ban on related-party transactions following Newcastle's buy-out. New permanent APT rules were voted through by 18 clubs within a couple of months.

Manchester City commented that the process was 'rushed, ill-thought-out' and such was the urgency, the tribunal found that the top-flight 'did not engage any outside consultants to consider either the effectiveness of the then current related-party transaction rules or the necessity for or proportionality of moving to an ex-ante system along the lines of the APT rules' during the consultation period.