Manchester City has been fined over £2 million ($2.5 million) by the Premier League for 22 instances of delaying the kickoff or restart of matches.
The club accepted the sanction, which pertains to rule violations over the past two seasons. This issue is separate from the 115 charges City faces for alleged breaches of the competition’s financial regulations.
A Premier League statement on Wednesday said, “The Premier League and Manchester City FC have entered into a sanction agreement after the club accepted it had breached Premier League Rule L.33 relating to kickoff and restart obligations.”
City's punishments were administered on a sliding scale for each offense. The initial delay, a 1 minute, 18-second hold-up to the second half against Crystal Palace in August 2022, resulted in a warning.
Subsequent breaches incurred fines, with the longest delay being 2 minutes, 46 seconds before the start of the final league game against West Ham last season, where City secured their fourth consecutive title. This 14th breach of the season led to a £200,000 ($256,000) fine.
In total, City has been fined £2.09 million.
“Rules relating to kickoffs and restarts help ensure the organization of the competition is set at the highest possible professional standard and provides certainty to fans and participating clubs,” the Premier League statement said. “It also ensures the broadcast of all 380 league matches around the world is kept to schedule.”
The statement also noted that City “has apologized for the accepted breaches... and confirmed that it has reminded the club’s players and football management teams of their responsibilities in complying with Rule L.33.”
