Manchester City fined £1 million for delaying kick-offs in matches
What's the story
Manchester City has been fined over £1 million by the Premier League for delaying kick-offs and restarts in nine of their matches during the 2024/25 season.
The league announced on Thursday that it had reached a sanction agreement with the club over violations of its rules regarding kick-off and restart times between October 2024 and February 2025.
Official response
Statement from the Premier League
The Premier League issued a statement saying, "Rules relating to kick-offs 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 league added that these rules also ensure every match is broadcasted on time.
Match disruptions
Details of the delays
The longest delay was two minutes and 24 seconds before the resumption of the Manchester derby at Old Trafford last December.
Other matches that contributed to the fine include games against Southampton (2 minutes, 10 seconds), Tottenham (1 minute, 38 seconds), Nottingham Forest (1 minute, 59 seconds), Crystal Palace (1 minute, 29 seconds), Aston Villa (2 minutes, 9 seconds), West Ham (1 minute, 42 seconds) and Ipswich Town (2 minutes, 22 seconds).
Acknowledgment
City accept and apologize for violations
Manchester City have accepted and apologized for the violations of Rule L.33, with the total fines amounting to £1.08 million.
The club has been given 14 days to pay from the execution of this sanction agreement.
This is not the first time City has faced such penalties as they were fined over £2 million last summer for 22 similar violations during the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.
Information
Man City finished third in Premier League 2024/25
Pep Guardiola's side finished third in the Premier League 2024/25 season behind champions Liverpool and 2nd-placed Arsenal. The Citizens finished with 71 points, having claimed 21 wins, 8 draws and suffering 9 defeats.