This week, a 175-page tribunal ruling in the Manchester City v. Premier League lawsuit will have keenly interested Stoke City’s owners, their financial advisors, and their attorneys to study the fine print.

Man City has challenged the elite league’s regulations pertaining to business transactions involving team owners. The league rejected sponsorship deals with First Abu Dhabi Bank and Etihad Aviation Group because it was alleged that they were “not struck at fair market value” and would have given the team an unfair competitive advantage at a time when competitors are restrained by sustainability and profit criteria. The club is owned by the Abu Dhabi-backed City Football Group.

An independent arbitration panel has now proclaimed support of the concept of regulations surrounding associated party transaction, stating: “It is difficult to understand how the PSR can be effective without such a system.” However, it has asserted that the same APT framework need to apply to and be responsible for shareholder loans as well.

All of this will come as a shock to Potteries residents, as Stoke is owned by John Coates, whose family owns bet365. Bet365 sponsors the team’s uniforms, stadium, and training facility. The Coates family has also provided hundreds of millions of pounds in interest-free loans to the club.

According to The Athletic, Man City contended that this was a significant competitive advantage, the kind of gap that APT regulations were already closing for sponsorship agreements. They claimed that this skews PSR estimates because an interest-free loan cannot, in theory, be valued at fair market value.”

In the short term, Stoke’s bottom line is that

Even though there will undoubtedly be a trickle-down effect from the Premier League, they are currently in the Championship and operating under EFL rules.

b) In the summer, a significant shift in the ownership structure paid off debts and returned club ownership to the training ground and stadium. That at least takes care of any headaches that were coming on.

Long-term complexity will increase, and football finds itself in a difficult situation concerning sponsorship, funding, sustainability, and what constitutes fair play.

Regarding possible PSR violations, Man City is facing 115 allegations in total. It is anticipated that a final decision will be rendered in 2025.

And all of this is attempting to close the gap that exists in the Premier League between the wealthy and the poor, but it doesn’t even begin to address the gap that exists between the Premier League and the rest of the world.