City Accept Validity of Premier League's Sponsorship Rules

Manchester City and the English Premier League have reached a settlement in their dispute over the rules governing commercial deals.

- 

LONDON -

City have accepted that the current rules for "associated party transactions" are "valid and binding".

The club had launched arbitration proceedings on Jan 20 against the current rules, which are designed to ensure that deals between teams and entities linked to their ownership are done at fair market value.

City's challenge was understood to have included criticism of the way the Premier League treated shareholder loans under the rules.

The league and City have agreed to make no further comment on the matter, while the case is also separate from the charges the club are facing over alleged breaches of financial rules.