Back in 2014, Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said he would rather spend £30 million (almost $40 million) on the 50 best lawyers in the world than pay a financial penalty. He has put that philosophy into practice. Years later, with the Manchester City case hotter than ever, that statement helps explain the club’s unwavering stance following the independent commission’s ruling. City’s staunch insistence that it did nothing wrong in the Premier League case is closely tied to the enormous sums the club continues to spend on its legal defense.
City’s legal spending continues to soar
According to City Football Group’s 2023-24 accounts, as reported by The Sun, the group had already accumulated more than £30 million (over $40 million) in legal fees in its battle against the Premier League. Since then, spending on lawyers and legal advice has continued to climb.
The drawn-out process has been compounded by Manchester City’s appeal and a further hearing before the independent commission, which will decide what punishment, if any, the club should face. City has spared no expense in preparing its defense.
According to The Lawyer, Manchester City has hired another top British barrister for its battle against the Premier League: Mark Howard KC. Known in legal circles as a “super silk,” Howard is co-head of Brick Court Chambers, a London-based set of barristers’ chambers whose former clients include Roman Abramovich and Elton John.
EXCL: Mark Howard KC is advising Man City in its PL legal battle, The Lawyer has learned. Howard, whose past clients include Roman Abramovich and Elton John, received £9m – the highest known brief fee ever paid to a barrister – for a separate case in 2023.https://t.co/xBBd6BSrnh
— Christian Smith (@TheLawyerCSmith) October 13, 2026
A new addition to City’s legal team
Howard’s fee for representing City has not been disclosed. However, his reputation speaks for itself. The Lawyer says his name “strikes fear into the hearts of the opposition,” much like that of Lord Pannick KC, who leads City’s defense in what has been dubbed the “trial of the century” and previously advised former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The publication also reports that Howard received a record £9 million (approximately $12 million) upfront in 2023 to represent the Federal Republic of Nigeria in its case against Process & Industrial Developments. According to The Lawyer, it was the largest upfront fee ever paid to a barrister for pretrial preparation and attendance on the first day of trial.
The legal battle has already cost more than $130 million
The Manchester City case has been hugely expensive for both sides. The club and the Premier League have now run up combined legal bills exceeding £100 million, equivalent to more than $130 million.
“The Premier League’s costs are expected to exceed £70 million,” The Guardian reported in September. That figure works out at almost $93 million.
In 2025, The Times reported that legal investigations and arbitration hearings involving Chelsea, Everton, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and Manchester City had already cost the English league almost €60 million (more than $67 million).
Although spending has far exceeded initial projections, the side that prevails in the Manchester City-Premier League dispute is expected to recover around 70% of its legal costs from the losing side.
That means City could face a bill approaching £50 million ($66.4 million) payable to the Premier League if it fails to clear its name. That would come on top of the money the club has already poured into its legal defense, making an already costly dispute even more expensive. Eight years after the case began, the fight is still not over.
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