A leaked communication sent to Newcastle United and its rivals urges the Premier League to reverse course following a controversial rule change.

A leaked communication sent to Newcastle United and its rivals urges the Premier League to reverse course following a controversial rule change.Newcastle United and Premier League clubs are scheduled to vote on a potential modification to Associated Party Transaction (APT) regulations.

In the midst of an ongoing legal dispute with Manchester City, Aston Villa has purportedly written to Premier League clubs requesting that the vote be postponed by 90 days.

The vote is scheduled to occur on Friday. Villa has endorsed Man City in the APT dispute, as stated in a letter shared by The Telegraph.

Additionally, Villa asserts that the Premier League is being “critically weakened” by the ongoing civil war. The APT rules, which were implemented by the Premier League shortly after Newcastle United’s acquisition in October 2021, are alleged to be unlawful by Man City.

The rule change was a response to the Newcastle acquisition, as evidenced by the official documents that were published last month. The club was mentioned a total of 15 times.

A written statement was submitted by a Newcastle representative as evidence in the case. The club’s capacity to generate substantial commercial revenue is restricted by the APT regulations, necessitating additional effort to secure agreements that are deemed to be of “fair market value” by the Premier League.

Villa has suggested that the vote be postponed in light of the ongoing uncertainties and potential new legal challenges that may arise from Man City’s dispute with the Premier League.

The vote (if passed) will lead to immediate additional litigation by Manchester City FC and an associated defence by the EPL [English Premier League], resulting in unnecessary distraction and devotion of time to this issue, as well as material additional costs.

It is highly probable that the Tribunal will conclude within the next three months, and that an APT rule that considers the Tribunal’s verdict will be supported by all clubs and cannot be contested.

“The upcoming establishment of the Government’s new Independent Football Regulator (IFR) and its incorporation have made it more important than ever for clubs in the Premier League to present their cases to the existing regulator collectively as a united front, rather than each club presenting individually conflicting arguments.

“It is time for all EPL club executives and their proprietors to recall that, despite the fact that the clubs are adversaries on the pitch, we are partners in the EPL with a shared objective of enhancing the quality of our product, its value, and the EPL’s position in Europe.

“The PL’s leadership and executives are not the only entities that are weakened by the acrimonious back-and-forth exchanges that are immediately leaked to the press.

The PL as an organisation and as the custodian of the billions invested in the PL and English football are also significantly impacted.” This significantly undermines the PL’s credibility in the eyes of all its stakeholders, particularly the IFR.

City has recently written to rival clubs to inform them that they are voting “blind” on any potential changes to APT regulations, as they remain “void” in the wake of a tribunal’s clarification of the ruling from last month, in which both City and the Premier League claimed victory.

Villa have also suggested modifications to the controversial £105 million Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules limit, aiming to raise it to £135 million in order to account for inflation since the rule was first implemented.

Despite the fact that numerous clubs, such as Newcastle, were compelled to transfer players in June to comply with PSR and prevent a points deduction, the proposal was ultimately rejected.