The lawyer who beat Man City has already shared his views on 115 relegation accusations

Sports lawyer Nick de Marco KC says Manchester City should not face relegation even if they are found guilty of one of their 115 financial charges. De Marco represented former City defender Benjamin Mendy as he won the majority of his £11million claim for unpaid wages against his former club earlier this month.

Mendy took City to a two-day employment tribunal in Manchester, claiming they wrongly stopped his £500,000-a-month salary after he was accused of sexual offenses and remanded in custody in August 2021.

As Mendy's trial began and his imprisonment continued for five months, City stopped paying his wages until what would have been the conclusion of his contract in June 2023. Mendy was later cleared of all charges made against him.

De Marco represented Mendy in his subsequent employment tribunal claim against City, where employment judge Joanne Dunlop ruled that Mendy was “entitled to recover some, but not all, of the sums claimed”. Although he acted against City on this occasion, De Marco publicly stated his stance against the club's relegation as a potential outcome of their Financial Fair Play (FFP) hearing.

“In my opinion, things as important as promotion and relegation should be decided on the pitch,” De Marco said in an interview with The Times.

“It spoils the game that it's people like me who decide, lawyers, accountants and ex-lawyers, who are arbitrators, who hear legal arguments behind closed doors. I'm going to make my money on that, that's it.” is my business. But I don't necessarily think it's right.”

De Marco also rejected the idea of ​​a points deduction – a penalty previously imposed on clubs like Everton and Nottingham Forest – stressing that such measures should only be a last resort, the Mirror reports.

“As a football fan, I really think that point deductions should be the last thing people pay attention to in the event of an infraction,” he added. “Yet it becomes a routine starting point and I think it takes away a lot of the fun and entertainment of the game.

“I understand the argument for points deductions, as they may be the best way to redress a sporting advantage given the obvious flaws of financial sanctions.

“If you're a very wealthy owner – determined to spend anything in violation of the rules – you won't have to worry too much about financial penalties, but I still think points deductions should be a last resort.”

The Premier League filed a complaint against City in 2023, but the private hearing did not begin until September. No details of the hearing have been made public because it is being held behind closed doors. The hearing is expected to end in early December, having lasted nine weeks out of an estimated period of ten. However, the verdict is not expected until the end of the season.