Manchester City is said to be taking legal action against the English professional league Premier League.
According to The Times, it is about City protesting against the league's rules for agreements where operations connected to the owners of the clubs are involved. The rules are supposed to ensure that commercial agreements, such as sponsorship agreements, are evaluated by an independent party, so that they are made according to market value.
Manchester City is owned by the ruling family in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, and among the sponsors are Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad Airways.
In this case, the league must therefore review City's sponsorship agreement with Etihad, so that the value is not inflated and City does not gain unfair advantages over its domestic competitors.
"But City argues that these rules are illegal and could clearly have serious, far-reaching consequences for the balance of competition within the Premier League," writes Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol in a statement.