Manchester City Fined £2.09m for Repeated Match Delays

 

Manchester City Fined £2.09m for Repeated Match Delays

Manchester City has been fined £2.09 million for repeatedly coming out late for both the start of matches and after half-time, breaching Premier League rules 22 times "without good reason, external." The Premier League confirmed that the club apologized for these breaches and has since reminded its players and football management teams of their responsibilities.

The Premier League emphasized the importance of punctuality, stating, "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. It also ensures the broadcast of all 380 league matches around the world is kept to schedule."

City have chosen not to comment on the situation.

In the 2022-23 season, Manchester City delayed restarts eight times, resulting in a fine of £390,000. The 2023-24 season saw 14 breaches, leading to fines totaling £1.7 million, with 11 delays for the start of the second half and four for the start of the match. The penalties ranged from a warning for the first offence in a match against Crystal Palace on 27 August 2022 to the largest fine of £200,000 for the longest delay of two minutes and 46 seconds during their 3-1 victory over West Ham on 19 May 2024. This match was significant as City clinched their fourth consecutive Premier League title on the last day of the season.

City’s 1-0 home victory over Newcastle on 19 August 2023 also featured a delayed kick-off and restart. Notably, 12 of the 22 breaches across the two seasons occurred during home matches.

This is not the first instance of fines for such delays. In March 2023, the Premier League's independent disciplinary commission fined Crystal Palace £220,000, with £70,000 suspended, for causing delays in two games in October 2022. These were Palace's 13th and 14th breaches over two seasons.

Later this year, Manchester City faces a Premier League disciplinary commission hearing regarding 115 charges of allegedly breaching financial regulations, some dating back to 2009. Some charges involve amounts paid to City by sponsors linked to Abu Dhabi. The club has strongly denied these allegations, claiming they have a "body of irrefutable evidence" to support their case.