City pull out the big guns! Record £9m 'super silk' fraud barrister hired for Premier League appeal
Manchester City are leaving nothing to chance in their fight with the Premier League. According to The Lawyer, the club has enlisted Mark Howard KC — one of the country's most feared commercial and fraud barristers — to advise on its appeal against the guilty verdict on 114 financial breaches.
Details: Howard, joint head of Brick Court Chambers, is known in legal circles as a 'super silk'. He reportedly banked a £9 million brief fee in 2023 for representing Nigeria against P&ID — the highest known fee ever paid to a barrister — a case in which he helped the country avoid an $11 billion damages bill. His past clients include Roman Abramovich and Elton John, and one directory review warns that 'his name strikes fear into the heart of the opposition.'
City were found guilty last month of 114 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules between 2009 and 2018, and have since lodged an appeal while maintaining they possess 'a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence' of their innocence. No timetable has been set for the appeal process, and the club are fighting what could become the most consequential legal battle in English football history.
Howard is not the first heavyweight KC on City's books. Lord David Pannick — whose previous clients include Queen Elizabeth II, Boris Johnson and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — has led the club's legal team since the charges were brought in February 2023. He is joined by Paul Harris, who successfully steered City's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after UEFA tried to ban the club from the Champions League in 2020, and commercial fraud specialist Philip Marshall.
The recruitment underlines how seriously City are taking the punishment phase of the case. Under Section W, Rule 54 of the Premier League Handbook, the club face a punishment ranging from a reprimand to expulsion, with a fine, points deduction and transfer ban all on the table — and the verdict already accused the club of a 'disguised funding scheme' that inflated revenues by over £900 million.
It's worth noting that Howard also knows his way around football's courtroom: he oversaw Everton's defence in their PSR case, which ended with the club paying Burnley £35 million in compensation — experience that could prove invaluable if rival clubs pursue similar claims against City.
Reminder: Double jeopardy! UEFA closes in as City's nightmare deepens.
Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
