IT’S CITY WHO SCARE THE CARTEL, NOT NEWCASTLE

THE cartel formerly known as the Premier League have brought in regulations on related-party sponsorships, to guard against the rise of Newcastle. Except it isn’t Newcastle they really care about. It is Manchester City. That is why the same alliance of self-interests now have the international law firm Bird & Bird looking over historic claims about City’s accounts — the same clutch of hacked emails and paperwork that UEFA were investigating, dating back decades. Newcastle are not seen as a threat. Not yet. They can barely keep a foothold in the division, and the debacle over Unai Emery’s appointment suggests a club that is still some way from challenging. Kieran Trippier (right) would be a good signing but the fact news of Newcastle’s interest and Atletico Madrid’s willingness to trade is an open secret leaves that deal vulnerable, too. What if Manchester United rekindle their bid? Would Trippier rather sign for a team facing relegation, or one that keeps him in the Champions League this season? Newcastle need to go a long way to match Manchester City’s success on the field and off it. City are a rich, well-run club. That is what frightens the cartel. So, yes, the new rules may squeeze the potential from Newcastle further down the line but, for now, the trap is set for bigger fish. Yet if any club has exposed the hollow logic of these regulations it is Manchester City. Their £400million deal with Etihad came under great scrutiny and was accused of being inflated to meet FFP rules. Now the 10-year agreement, taking in stadium rights, the new training complex and the club shirt looks fantastic value. Etihad bought into where City were going, not what they were in 2011. Newcastle’s sponsors would do the same. The idea that Newcastle’s commercial value should be limited to that of ‘similar-sized’ clubs — Everton and Aston Villa have been cited — is nonsense. If Newcastle end up like Everton or Aston Villa, someone gets sacked. A sponsor buys into Newcastle with the hope the owners’ wealth propels them to the highest echelons. A first league title since 1927, the Champions League. Given their circumstances, Newcastle will be so much bigger than Everton or Villa. Why should they be tied down, prevented from realising their new potential? The Etihad deal is the yardstick and it was a record at the time. And who gets to decide on what is appropriate in a related-party transaction? An independent company, no doubt appointed by the cartel. Financial fair play indeed.