What was - and wasn't - discussed at Premier League meeting

Premier League owners met for nan first clip this play connected Thursday pinch champions Manchester City locked successful 2 ineligible disputes pinch nan league.

The gathering successful cardinal London ended pinch nary update connected Manchester City's ineligible situation against Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules, which govern commercialized deals pinch entities linked to nine owners.

Some clubs had expected to perceive astir immoderate ruling, but convention sources and respective nine representatives attending said nan matter was not discussed astatine nan two-hour meeting.

And, because this relates to a confidential arbitration process, location whitethorn not beryllium a general announcement, moreover if a ruling has been reached.

Separately, a number of undisclosed projected norm changes - including 1 concerning nan Premier League’s ‘databank’ - which clubs person to taxable commercialized accusation to - and which is 1 of nan ways that nan league's committee assesses deals for adjacent marketplace worth - were dropped aft feedback from clubs.

The league's ineligible costs past play - which spiralled to much than £45m arsenic a consequence of fighting a spate of disputes complete financial rules - were discussed, pinch immoderate clubs questioning nan costs. The convention feels this is nan consequence of unprecedented ineligible action and a request to uphold its rules.

Clubs were besides told that testing for semi-automated offside exertion is continuing, and whitethorn now not beryllium brought successful until nan caller year.

BBC Sport breaks down what happened astatine nan meeting...

A really absorbing point happened earlier nan gathering erstwhile BBC Sport discovered nan Premier League had withdrawn an amendment to its rules that was owed to beryllium voted connected by nan top-flight clubs.

The amendment concerned issues astir allowable entree to delicate accusation stored successful nan league's 'databank' successful nan arena of a situation to a 'determination' (ruling) by nan Premier League board.

A Premier League root told BBC Sport that a number of rules intended to beryllium put to their 20 personnel clubs astatine nan gathering would not beryllium happening because of what was described arsenic "various amounts of nine feedback".

The convention refused to opportunity whether this was related to its arbitration proceeding pinch Manchester City astir its Associated Party Transaction (ATP) rules, which took spot earlier successful nan summer.

APTs are commercialized deals involving a nine and companies they person adjacent ties to.

The Premier League has nan correct to measure nan worth of specified deals to guarantee they person not been inflated, which could springiness clubs much to walk nether existent financial rules.

It had been felt that Manchester City's situation to nan Premier League was that they wanted to scrap Associated Party Transaction rules completely.

But from talking to sources pinch an knowing of City's motivations, BBC Sport has learned nan club's statement was not against what they deem to beryllium proportionate and adjacent regulation.

In this instance, what they really based on against were nan changes. City based on nan first rules, successful spot up to 2021, were fine. The nine did not judge location had ever been an denotation of a request to alteration those rules, and nary connection to do truthful had been put forward.

It is besides worthy base successful mind that nether these rules, each City's business deals had been annually reviewed and nary were considered to beryllium related statement transactions.

So, their conclusion was that nan changes - which they judge were rushed anyhow considering nan complexity of nan arguments - came astir arsenic a consequence of nine politics.

The rules were changed pursuing a ballot successful February that was not unanimous.

Last November plans to artifact indebtedness deals betwixt associated clubs and besides wider commercialized transactions some fell short of gaining nan required two-thirds majority.

This confirmed to City nan plans were wrong, and would lead to important statement and ineligible bills connected some sides. They felt nan caller rules would beryllium utilized to target definite clubs.

They besides mobility that if 14 clubs - aliases successful this lawsuit 12 fixed 2 abstained - tin efficaciously alteration nan economics of rival clubs, what would extremity them doing truthful successful an moreover clearer measurement by, say, centralising commercialized contracts, arsenic is nan lawsuit successful Major League Soccer.

This past statement does look a spot of a stretch, nevertheless, it is what City felt and nan statement they made.

It is mostly accepted removing nan amendment to beryllium voted connected astatine nan gathering was significant.

But no-one tin beryllium clear precisely why, aliases whether it indicates bully news for nan Premier League aliases City.

A convention root said that because it was an arbitration proceeding they could not opportunity whether location has been a resolution.

A City spokesperson said: "We are not successful a position to remark astatine this time."

The Premier League spent £45m connected ineligible fees fighting its various disciplinary cases past season.

The ineligible costs are nan consequence of a) an unprecedented number of caller investigations, disciplinary committee processes, appeals and arbitrations complete disputes pinch clubs related to financial regulations, and b) hiring immoderate of nan country's apical lawyers that complaint astir £1,000 per hour.

They see cases involving Manchester City, Everton, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and Chelsea.

It was precocious revealed that nan convention had to screen much than £3m of nan ineligible costs that arose from nan lawsuit that saw Everton docked points for breaching Profit and Sustainability rules (PSR).

Although it is technically nan clubs' money being utilized to salary nan bill, it doesn't travel straight from nan clubs themselves.

Each season, nan Premier League keeps an magnitude of money backmost that could beryllium utilized for various reasons, ineligible issues being 1 of them. It doesn't effect connected nan prize money and broadcast payments that are written into convention rules.

At nan extremity of each season, immoderate costs remaining aft nan various bills person been paid are distributed arsenic a 'wash-up' payment.

It is this distribution that will beryllium affected. Whatever is paid goes down arsenic income for Profit and Sustainability reasons, but that is existent of immoderate different costs from cardinal Premier League sources.

Legal fees are by their quality expensive. The magnitude being spent by nan Premier League to conflict Manchester City complete their 115 charges will beryllium huge, almost surely moving into nan tens of millions fixed nan complexity of nan case.

This only becomes an rumor if nan clubs determine nan costs are excessively high, nan negatives outweigh nan imaginable benefits, and impulse nan full matter to beryllium brought to a conclusion.

Any Premier League ballot requires a two-thirds majority. There is nary denotation yet nan clubs person reached that point.

Some clubs are known to beryllium concerned that truthful overmuch money is being spent connected ineligible battles, and will trim their stock of cardinal broadcast woody funds.

League chiefs reportedly budgeted for £8m ineligible costs past season, alternatively than nan £45m they reached. Questions connected nan rumor were asked astatine Thursday's meeting.

However, convention sources constituent retired nan costs are a fraction of nan billions of pounds that it generates, and it is important that it upholds rules to sphere nan integrity of nan league.

However, location has besides been speculation that if ineligible costs proceed to spiral, they could perchance make it much apt that nan Premier League yet seeks a colony pinch Manchester City complete its long-running conflict surrounding nan 100-plus charges for alleged financial norm breaches. Especially pinch nan anticipation of appeals successful nan future.

While City contradict wrongdoing, it is inevitable that nan gravity and standard of the 100-plus Premier League charges they face for alleged financial norm breaches crossed 14 seasons will person affected their narration pinch immoderate rivals - particularly those that whitethorn consciousness they person mislaid retired connected titles aliases European qualification if City are recovered to person surgery financial rules by artificially inflating sponsorship revenue.

The tensions were clear erstwhile head Pep Guardiola precocious said he believed different clubs "want america to beryllium sanctioned".

Javier Tebas, president of Spain's La Liga, besides said he has spoken to galore Premier League clubs who want to spot nan existent champions punished.

However, location is besides immoderate sympathy for City erstwhile it comes to their ineligible situation complete APT rules. When they were introduced successful 2021, only Saudi-owned Newcastle United voted against them, while City abstained.

When nan rules were past toughened up earlier this year, they proved moreover much divisive. Fourteen clubs voted for nan changes, pinch six voting against (Aston Villa, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Utd reportedly joined City and Newcastle successful opposing them), while 2 different clubs - reported to beryllium Crystal Palace and Burnley - abstained.

Some rivals are known to beryllium troubled by City's consequent ineligible fight, fearing that if they triumph and nan rules are changed, it could region a important intends of curbing nan spending powerfulness of Middle Eastern-owned clubs, and those which are portion of multi-club groups.

But others look to stock City's position that location is excessively overmuch regularisation and that it could stymie investment.