Manchester City has been penalized over £2 million for postponing Premier League kick-offs and restarts 22 times in the last two seasons.
The club acknowledged that they violated Premier League regulations by delaying either the kick-off or the restart after half-time on several occasions “without just cause”.
During the 2022-23 season, the champions of the Premier League delayed restarts on eight occasions, resulting in a fine of £390,000.
In the current 2023-24 season, they faced 14 violations leading to fines totaling £1.7 million, including 11 cases of delaying the second half and four instances of delaying the match start.
Sanctions varied from a warning to a maximum penalty of £200,000, imposed for the most extended delay of two minutes and 46 seconds during their 3-1 victory over West Ham on May 19, 2024, when they clinched their fourth consecutive Premier League title on the season’s final day.
In their 1-0 home win against Newcastle on August 19, 2023, both the kick-off and restart were delayed, with 12 of the violations occurring during home matches over the two seasons.
The League stated that the club “has expressed regret for the acknowledged breaches and confirmed it has reminded the players and football management teams of their obligations”.
“Regulations concerning kick-offs and restarts are essential in maintaining the organization of the competition at the highest professional standard and providing certainty to fans and clubs involved,” the league commented.
“This also guarantees that the broadcast of all 380 League matches globally remains on schedule.”
Later this year, a Premier League disciplinary panel is anticipated to address 115 allegations against City for purportedly violating its financial regulations, some of which date back to 2009.
Some allegations refer to payments made to City by sponsors associated with Abu Dhabi.
The club has consistently denied these allegations, asserting they are backed by a “body of irrefutable evidence”.
