BREAKING: Premier League side Man City have been fined over £2m for defying Premier League rule

The Premier League has imposed a sanction of over £2 million on Manchester City for the delay in the commencement of their matches.

The league reached a sanction agreement with the champions regarding 22 distinct allegations, all of which were associated with the previous two seasons.

On the day they secured their fourth consecutive title, City were found to have delayed the start of their final game of the previous season, a victory over West Ham, by two minutes and 46 seconds.
The sanctions are calculated in a range of £10,000 to £200,000, with the lowest amount being imposed for the initial offence and the highest amount being imposed as a consequence of the West Ham fixture.

Eighteen of the incidents pertain to resumption following the break, with one match against Newcastle United in August of last year experiencing a delay in both the start and the kickoff.

The Premier League’s decision was accepted by City, and it was subsequently ratified by a three-person independent tribunal.

The Premier League issued a statement that stated, “The breaches pertain to numerous Premier League matches during the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.”

The establishment of the competition at the highest professional standard and the provision of certainty to supporters and participating clubs are facilitated by the regulations regarding kick-offs and re-starts.

Additionally, it guarantees that all 380 League matches are broadcast in accordance with the established schedule.

In the past two seasons, Pep Guardiola’s team was discovered to have delayed resumption by a total of 39 minutes and 52 seconds in 23 late kick-offs across 22 games.

The game against West Ham that secured their title was the longest, with the second half of that fixture being postponed.

Other significant delays consisted of the kickoff against Everton in December 2022, which was delayed by two minutes and 33 seconds, and the home game against Newcastle in August 2023, which began two minutes and 34 seconds later.

The second half of that contest was also delayed by one minute and 17 seconds, resulting in a total of 23 cases of delay across 22 occasions.

The agreement confirmed that “the club has apologised for the accepted breaches set out in paragraph 3, above, and has reminded the Club’s players and football management teams of their responsibilities in complying with Rule L.33.”

The payment is to be made within 14 days of the execution of this Sanction Agreement.

The Eagles were charged for two breaches in 2022, while Crystal Palace were fined for a similar offence last season.

City’s hearing on 115 charges for alleged financial breaches, a far more severe case, is anticipated to take place in the coming months.