The evolution of football from sporting contest to melodrama continues apace, to the extent that the actual 90 minutes of action increasingly seems like an unwelcome distraction from the off-field theatre.
Take this week’s Championship play-off semi-final between Southampton and Middlesbrough. It culminated in a narrow win for the Saints, who (in theory) booked themselves a place in the Wembley final.
But the real intrigue for many was away from the pitch, after Southampton were accused of sending a staff member to spy on Middlesbrough’s training ground and feed back vital intelligence ahead of the tie. When Middlesborough inevitably considered legal proceedings, there was only one person they were likely to send for: Nick De Marco KC, who reportedly has been hired to challenge the validity of Southampton’s final spot.
De Marco spoke this week at a football law conference on key cases relating to the beautiful game, and admitted it was a subject he had acquired more experience than expected over the years.
He’s not wrong. The barrister has amassed an impressive roll-call of cases arguing over the legal nuances of football, including saving Sheffield Wednesday from a 15-point deduction and acting for Leicester and Derby County in financial fair play proceedings. In total he has now represented 45 clubs (more even than the legendary John Burridge) and a roster of players that includes Harry Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lucas Paqueta.
Obiter suspects that with the nature of modern football, the work is unlikely to dry up. How long, for example, before we see a club challenge a VAR decision in the court? (you could start with that dubious Celtic penalty on Wednesday night, we would suggest). The denouement to the football season brings intrigue, glory and despair – and there’s every chance that some club will consider a legal case to challenge the outcome. De Marco should probably leave his phone on.
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