City enlist UK's highest-paid barrister as Premier League urged to impose two sanctions

Manchester City have appointed Mark Howard KC, one of Britain’s most prominent commercial barristers, to represent them in their ongoing dispute with the Premier League over alleged financial rule breaches spanning 2009 to 2018.

According to The Lawyer, Howard — whose £9 million fee for a separate case in 2023 stands as the highest sum ever awarded to a barrister in the United Kingdom — will lead City’s legal defence as the club continues to contest the charges and assert its innocence. Howard is described by Brick Court Chambers as “one of the leading commercial silks at the bar”, with extensive experience in commercial litigation, competition law, administrative law, and arbitral tribunals including ICC and FIA panels. He has previously represented high-profile clients including Roman Abramovich and Elton John.

City are not the first Premier League club to turn to Howard in a financial regulations case. Everton also enlisted him to oversee their defence following an investigation into breaches of Profitability and Sustainability Rules relating to the 2021/22 season, a process that concluded earlier this year.

The appointment comes as the Premier League navigates a lengthy appeals process, with the league simultaneously being urged to impose two distinct punishments in connection with the City charges. The precise nature of those recommended sanctions was not detailed in the source material.

On the pitch, City appeared unaffected by the off-field turbulence on Sunday, defeating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield in their first Premier League fixture after the international break. The match turned decisively in the 62nd minute when Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch was shown a red card for a second bookable offence. Erling Haaland broke the deadlock three minutes later, Jeremy Doku quickly added a second, and Rayan Cherki sealed the win with around ten minutes remaining.

Liverpool supporters had attempted to use the occasion to amplify their frustrations over City’s alleged financial misconduct, with banners referencing the charges visible in the stands. The atmosphere, however, had little bearing on the result, as City returned to Greater Manchester with all three points.