Who is Nick De Marco? The ‘Lionel Messi of sports barristers’ representing Leicester City
The lawyer has already successfully represented City before in their dispute with the EFL over the winter, and his services have been employed again for their legal proceedings
he name Nick De Marco is becoming a familiar one both in the world of English football and in the world of Leicester City.
The sports barrister has represented more than 45 clubs across the Premier League and EFL, and one of his latest assignments is to help City in their battle with the governing bodies. On Friday, having been charged with an alleged breach of Profit and Sustainability Rules by the Premier League and having been placed under a transfer embargo by the EFL, City announced they were issuing legal proceedings against both.
De Marco certainly has experience in representing clubs in their fights with the Premier League and EFL, and is successful. He has been described by football finance expert Kieran Maguire as the “football law version of Lionel Messi”.
In 2020, De Marco helped Sheffield Wednesday in their battle with the EFL over PSR, first managing to defer a points deduction, then getting it reduced from 12 points to six. In the same year, he also helped Stevenage avoid a points deduction, and managed the same with Derby County a year later. He then worked alongside Newcastle and Mike Ashley to help in their dispute with the Premier League over the Saudi takeover of the club.
