Nick de Marco KC, a prominent sports lawyer, has suggested that Manchester City should not face relegation even if they are found guilty of the 115 financial charges levelled against them.
The 57-year-old recently represented former City player Benjamin Mendy, helping him win the majority of his £11million claim for unpaid wages from the club at a two-day employment tribunal in Manchester earlier this month. Mendy had argued that City improperly halted his £500,000-a-month salary after he was charged with sex offences and remanded in custody in August 2021; charges for which he was later acquitted.
Despite his role in securing a victory against City for Mendy, De Marco, who is associated with Blackstone Chambers, has previously expressed to The Times his belief that matters as crucial as promotion and relegation should be decided on the field of play, not through legal proceedings. “In my view, things as important as promotion and relegation should be determined on the pitch,” De Marco stated.
“It spoils the game for it to be determined by people like me; lawyers, accountants and ex-lawyers, who are arbitrators, hearing legal arguments behind closed doors. I’m going to make my money out of it, that’s my business. But I don’t necessarily think it’s right.
De Marco, when addressing potential sanctions like Everton and Nottingham Forest have experienced with points deductions, emphatically voiced his perspective, adding: “As a football fan, I really do think points deductions should be the very last thing people look at for breaches. Yet it’s becoming a routine starting point and I do think that spoils a lot of the fun and entertainment of the game.
“I can see the argument for points deductions, because they can be the best way to redress a sporting advantage given the obvious flaws with financial penalties. If you are a very wealthy owner – intent on just spending anything in breach of the rules – you’re not going to worry too much about financial penalty, but I still think point deductions should be a last resort.”
The Premier League levied charges against Manchester City in 2023, yet the private hearing concerning these charges only started in September of this year and has been kept away from the public eye. Expected to conclude by early December after a nine-week duration out of an anticipated 10, a decision is not foreseen until season-end.
