Manchester City have started a second legal action against rules related to associated party transactions, and the Professional Footballers’ Association has warned of possible litigation if there were not greater consultation on SCR plans and related proposals on “anchoring” that would tie the amount top clubs could spend to revenues earned by the division’s last-placed side.
The Premier League is to delay the introduction of financial rules that would limit the amount clubs can spend on players, with profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) set to stay in place for next season.
Clubs were understood not to have raised the issue of potential legal fees in the shareholders’ meeting, but concern had previously been aired after the league revealed legal costs of £45m over the course of last season, a sum reported to have been six times greater than the proposed budget.
The league intends to adopt a new squad cost ratio (SCR) approach to spending controls, which would limit clubs to spending a set percentage of their income on player-related costs.
The league, the Football Association and the referees’ body the PGMOL confirmed that semi-automated offside technology will be trialled in English football during the fifth round of the FA Cup next month.
