According to The Mirror, Man City has been found to have breached Premier League financial rules over a 9-year period, but the club has appealed the decision and hired Mark Howard KC, one of England's leading barristers.

Man City was found to have breached Premier League financial rules 114 times between 2009 and 2018. The club was charged in February 2023, followed by a 42-day hearing the following year. The outcome of that hearing was only confirmed last month, after which Man City filed an appeal. The club continues to deny the charges and claims to possess "a comprehensive set of irrefutable evidence" to prove its innocence.

Currently, there is no timeline for how long the appeal process will take, and Man City is fully focused on resolving this matter. According to The Lawyer magazine, Howard is now advising Man City. But who is he? And why did Man City hire him? In legal circles, Howard is known as a "super lawyer" – a term referring to a King's Counsel (KC).

He is also co-head of Brick Court Chambers, located in central London. His official website describes him as "extremely experienced in commercial disputes and 'City' work, including banking, professional negligence, fraud, energy, insurance and reinsurance."

One review states: "His name strikes fear into the hearts of opponents." Howard's previous clients include former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich (2008) and musician Elton John (2002). He became a barrister in 1980 and was appointed KC 16 years later.

In an interview with The Times last year, Howard stated that his favorite part of his work is "cross-examining witnesses and undermining their testimony." In 2023, Howard earned a record £9 million in appearance fees when representing the Federal Republic of Nigeria against Process & Industrial Developments. This remains the highest appearance fee ever recorded – the compensation a barrister receives for preparation before trial and the first day of court.

Howard successfully helped Nigeria avoid paying $11 billion in compensation. Another recent success for Howard was representing AerCap, the world's largest commercial aircraft lessor, in 2025. The case focused on an insurance dispute related to aircraft stranded in Russia since the Ukraine war began. The Supreme Court ruled that insurance companies covering war risk must pay AerCap over $1 billion in compensation. This payout also became one of the largest damages awards by a UK court in an insurance dispute.

Man City hopes that Howard's expertise will aid them in their fight against the Premier League. Since the charges were brought, Man City has not only hired Howard as KC. The club's legal team is led by David Pannick, renowned for representing wealthy and powerful individuals. Pannick's previous clients include Queen Elizabeth II, Boris Johnson, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Also joining Pannick is Paul Harris, who successfully led the appeal team to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after UEFA attempted to ban Man City from the Champions League in 2020. Finally, Philip Marshall, who specializes in complex commercial disputes and commercial fraud, is also involved.

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