Manchester City have been fined by the Premier League after repeated breaches of the same rule last season
Comments
Sport
Two of City's nine breaches came in the same United game
(Image: PA)
Manchester City entered a sanction agreement with the Premier League after admitting nine breaches of a competition rule last season. The Blues were deemed to have delayed a restart or kick-off without good reason on multiple occasions, and accepted the findings.
Fines were handed out for each individual breach, and ranged from £40,000 for their first unacceptable delay to £210,000 for their eighth. Combined, City will have to pay the Premier League more than £1m and have two weeks to do so under the terms of the agreement.
City's breaches involved delays to both restarts and kick-offs, with them guilty of both in the same game for the home match against United in December. It was recorded to have taken an extra 78 seconds for kick-off in that game and 144 seconds for a restart.
There were also instances where City with the away team, with the club fined for late calls at Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, and Ipswich. A Premier League statement read: "The club has accepted and apologised for the breaches set out in paragraph 3, above, and confirmed that it has reminded the club's players and football management teams of their responsibilities in complying with Rule L.33."
Content Image
Content Image
On their website, the league added: "Rules relating to kick-offs and re-starts help ensure the organisation of the competition is set at the highest possible professional standard and provides certainty to fans and participating clubs. It also ensures the broadcast of every Premier League match is kept to schedule.
"As required by the Premier League Rules, the sanction agreement has been ratified by three members of the Independent Judicial Panel."
City were made to pay £2m in fines for breaches of the same offence during the 2023/24 season after 22 different incidents. While there was an improvement last season then, the club are still facing another seven-figure bill.
Meanwhile, the wait goes on for the verdict into the Premier League charges that City have faced since February 2022. A three-man panel heard evidence over three months at the end of 2024 but a verdict is yet to be released, to the frustration of many.
The club have insisted from the moment they were charges that they have not committed any wrongdoing.
Content Image
Content Image
---
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
*And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.*