Manchester City To Pay Premier League £2.09 Million For Breaching Kick-off Rules

English Premier League reigning champions, Manchester City, have been fined £2.09 million by the league body for 22 instances of delaying the kick-off and restart of matches.

According to a statement from the Premier League on Wednesday, July 31, Manchester City have acknowledged the punishment, which is related to rule infringements over the past two seasons.

The statement from the Premier League reads, “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 kick-off and restart obligations.”

The fines imposed on the City are on a sliding scale for each offence, ranging from £10,000 to £200,000. Their first offence, a delay of one minute and 18 seconds to the start of the second half against Crystal Palace in August 2022, resulted in a warning. However, subsequent breaches incurred fines based on the severity of the delay.

The longest delay was two minutes and 46 seconds for the start of the final game of the season against West Ham last season when City clinched a record fourth successive English title.

The Premier League emphasized that rules relating to kick-offs and restarts are in place to ensure the highest professional standard of competition organization and to provide certainty to fans and participating clubs. Additionally, these rules ensure that the broadcast of all 380 League matches around the world is kept to schedule.

Although City have not provided a direct comment, the ruling noted that: “The club 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.”

It’s important to note that this issue is not connected to the 115 charges City is facing for alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations.