The Lawyer learned about the hiring of Manchester City ex-lawyer Elton John

Manchester City have hired Mark Howard as a consultant in the case of violations of the financial rules of the English Premier League (EPL), reports journalist Christian Smith in the social network X.

Howard is one of the leading commercial lawyers in the UK. His former clients include former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and singer Elton John, Smith writes. In one case alone, he said, Howard received a record £9 million ($11.9 million) fee for a lawyer in 2023.

He will work alongside fellow Manchester City lawyers David Pannick and Paul Harris.

At the end of September, an independent EPL commission found City guilty of most counts of financial fraud worth more than £900 million ($1.2 billion) between 2009 and 2018. The Commission found that the club entered into fictitious contracts, provided false financial statements, committed serious violations of the spending limits established by the Premier League and UEFA, etc.

Manchester City may face expulsion from the Premier League, admitted the Minister of culture, media and sports of the UK Lisa Nandy. The club insists on its innocence and appealed against the conclusion of the Premier League commission.

The Premier League in early 2023 reported that as a result of an investigation launched in 2018, it found more than a hundred violations at City, after it was bought by City Football Group in 2008.

Since 2008, City have won the Premier League eight times, won the FA Cup four times, won seven League Cups and won the Champions League trophy (2023).