Richard Masters breaks silence in letter to Forest after Manchester City bombshell

In a letter to Nottingham Forest and other affiliated teams, Richard Masters stated that the Premier League is taking the “necessary time” to negotiate changes to the sponsorship regulations.

The action was taken following a court dispute between Manchester City and the Premier League regarding related party transactions, with the latter team emerging victorious in the arbitration.

APT regulations make ensuring that sponsorship agreements with businesses connected to a club’s owners reflect fair market value. City had several of their complaints upheld, and two rule provisions were found to be illegal. Masters now alludes to a potential postponement of a crucial meeting to address the matter in a letter.

“There have been many club conversations over recent days, with constructive and informative feedback provided,” he stated. “With the current comprehensive set of facts and information, we are better able to formulate our suggested course of action and rule amendments.

“We are devoting the appropriate time to crafting our recommendations and the corresponding draft regulation modifications for the club’s review. When they are thoroughly thought out and prepared, we will distribute these to the clubs. This could affect when we schedule our next week’s meetings with the Legal Advisory Group, Financial Controls, and all the clubs.”

The announcement follows a rumor that Forest “might” turn out to be Manchester City’s friend in their dispute over Premier League financial controls.

Following a significant verdict in its ongoing fight against the top division, City has communicated with all other clubs and informed rivals that the league’s interpretation was “incorrect.”

They have taken on the Premier League and are willing to help any club that “has questions” about business dealings involving club owners.

The Premier League now has to convince 14 of its 20 clubs to support a restated version of APT regulations following a 175-page ruling in order to stop sponsorship from “becoming a source of vast financial imbalance,” as the Daily Mail puts it.

A meeting of the 20 clubs to discuss the situation is scheduled for this Thursday, but it is now uncertain due to Masters’ letter. At this meeting, positions will become obvious. If this meeting is called to proceed, there won’t be any voting or decisions made.

The Premier League won’t even be making an effort to set out a timeline for a new APT system, according to the Mail, “a number of clubs expect City to dominate with a lengthy exposition of the failings of the current system.” Some clubs are anticipated to participate virtually, and some in person.”

Along with Chelsea and Newcastle United, both of which have reportedly received billions of pounds in Saudi investment, Aston Villa is said to be “sympathetic to City’s stance”. Everton has also supported City, and it’s been suggested that Evangelos Marinakis, the owner of Nottingham Forest, “might prove another ally”.

The Premier League has received backing from Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, West Ham, Brentford, Bournemouth, Fulham, and Wolves.