On Monday, it was announced that Manchester City had reached a settlement with the Premier League about the dispute over the Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules.
The fight between the Citizens and Premier League has been going on behind the scenes for months after initial reports that the APT rules were deemed unlawful.
In theory, Newcastle United benefited from the Premier League ruling, with more lucrative sponsorships in the offing. However, PIF is still unable to pour hundreds of millions into the club through these deals, as the market value must still be deemed fair by those higher up.
Upon hearing the news, Newcastle’s chiefs were calm about the APT ruling in February, knowing that it means virtually nothing to them in the short term. However, they will surely have new sponsorships in the pipeline when the time is right.
Manchester City took the Premier League to court over the APT ruling after a sponsorship was blocked because it was not deemed to be fair market value. With a settlement now reached, inews’ Mark Douglas has shared his view on whether the update means anything for Newcastle.
The Premier League logo on an umbrella during a game between Liverpool and Arsenal.
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Premier League’s APT settlement likely means very little for Newcastle United
Revenue growth is the top priority for PIF at Newcastle. Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan has always said that he wants the Magpies to be ‘number one’, and will stop at nothing to make that happen.
The ruling in February is beneficial for Newcastle, who were reportedly waiting for a decision before announcing things like a training kit sponsor or selling the naming rights for St James’ Park.
However, fans may have to wait before the lucrative new deals arrive at the club. That is according to Douglas, who shared his view on the ruling.
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“Anything that smooths the process is a net positive,” he said on X.
“I would expect to see MENA (Middle East and North Africa) brands linking up with #nufc in the future (along with PIF-affiliated firms). Revenue growth is a massive priority internally – and pushed by the ownership.
“BUT from my dealings with PIF, I think the idea that aligned companies will suddenly drop huge sponsorships that facilitate Newcastle to spend wildly is unrealistic & speaks to a lack of understanding of how the fund operates and has operated since the takeover.
“The clubs that pushed to rush through these modified APT rules got it very wrong IMO. Set the PL up for a fight that, ultimately, they’ve had to spend a fortune on when PIF seem to have always had it in their mind that any investment in #nufc would have to broadly follow the fair market principles the PL already had in place.”
Seen a few people debating what impact the #mcfc settlement will have on #nufc.
🗣 My take, fwiw: Anything that smooths the process is a net positive. Would expect to see MENA brands linking up with #nufc in future (along with PIF affiliated firms). Revenue growth is a massive…
— Mark Douglas (@MsiDouglas) September 8, 2025
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What Amanda Staveley said about the Premier League’s APT ruling in 2021
Amanda Staveley was the driving force for Newcastle’s change of ownership in 2021. Having visited St James’ Park following an invite from Rafa Benitez in 2017, she became obsessed with the idea of buying the club.
Four years and multiple takeover attempts later, Mike Ashley finally agreed to sell Newcastle to a consortium with Staveley as the face of it. However, the APT rules were introduced shortly after Newcastle’s takeover, something which angered Staveley.
Reports at the time stated that Staveley was livid with Premier League teams, believing that there was ‘fear’ Newcastle would have an unfair advantage without the rules in place.
While no longer at the club, Staveley is still a fan favourite at Newcastle, with the 52-year-old attending the Magpies’ Carabao Cup win at Wembley in March.