Premier League Chair Alison Brittain Urged to Resign by Ex-Everton Chief Over Man City Case Verdict

Keith Wyness calls for Premier League leadership change following arbitration dispute on associated party transactions.

Former Everton chairman Keith Wyness has demanded the immediate resignation of Premier League chair Alison Brittain following the arbitration verdict in Manchester City’s associated party transactions (APT) case. The case revolves around the league’s rules on ensuring commercial deals between clubs and entities tied to their ownership are conducted at fair market value (FMV), with Manchester City accusing the league of misleading other clubs about the judgement’s outcome.

The APT rules were designed to prevent artificially inflated deals that boost club revenues, but City claims the rules are void after a recent arbitration panel found certain aspects to be in breach of competition law. While City argues that the entire set of rules should be scrapped, the Premier League maintains that only those specific aspects found unlawful require revision, while the overall principles remain sound.

The league has requested further clarification from the arbitration tribunal and is currently working to update sections of the rulebook deemed unlawful. The most significant change involves the inclusion of shareholder loans as transactions to be assessed for FMV. Clubs have been asked to provide details of shareholder loans and equity conversions from the past three years to help the league draft new recommendations, which will be reviewed by its Financial Controls Advisory Group and Legal Advisory Group before being discussed by all clubs.

Despite no immediate vote expected on rule changes, Wyness criticized the Premier League’s handling of the situation, pointing to weak governance and rushed rule implementation. In an interview with Football Insider, he called Brittain’s leadership into question, accusing her of being “completely absent” during what he described as a “crisis” for the league.

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“There are some weak points right now that the Premier League have got,” Wyness said. “We need some really big personalities to handle this at the moment. I’ve been hypercritical about the Premier League chairperson, Alison Brittain, who has been completely absent. Once again, I call for her resignation as soon as possible.”

The dispute continues as the Premier League navigates a complex legal and regulatory challenge while facing increasing scrutiny over its leadership.

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