- Manchester City Penalized £2.09M for Kick-Off Breaches, having been fined over £2 million for violating kick-off and restart rules 22 times in the last two seasons.
- The breaches included delays in kick-offs and restarts, with the longest delay recorded at 2 minutes and 46 seconds during the final game of the 2023/24 season.
- The Premier League enforces these regulations to maintain high professional standards, ensure certainty for fans and clubs, and keep the broadcast schedule intact.
- City has accepted the fine, apologized for the violations, and reminded players and staff of their responsibilities regarding these rules.
Newsypeople – Manchester City, the reigning Premier League champions, have been slapped with a hefty fine of over £2 million for repeatedly breaching a little-known rule related to kick-off and restart obligations.
The club has accepted the sanctions and agreed to pay the £2.09 million fine to the Premier League
The breaches, which occurred 22 times over the last two seasons, involved delays in either the kick-off of a league match from the scheduled time or the restart after the half-time interval. The longest delay was a staggering 2 minutes and 46 seconds before the start of the second half in City’s final game of the 2023/24 season against West Ham, where they clinched their fourth successive title.
The Premier League has stated that these rules ensure the competition is organized at the highest possible professional standard, providing certainty to fans and participating clubs while also keeping the broadcast of all 380 league matches on schedule worldwide. The sanctions were imposed on a sliding scale, with fines ranging from £10,000 to £200,000 for each subsequent breach after the initial warning.
Manchester City have been fined £2.09M by the Premier League for 22 breaches over kick-off delays in the last two seasons. pic.twitter.com/Gdfy3bkfjq
— Transfer News (@TransfersLlVE) August 1, 2024
City has apologized for the breaches and has reminded its players and football management teams of their responsibilities in complying with Rule L.33. The club has not commented directly on the ruling but has confirmed that it has accepted the fine and the decision.
This fine comes as Manchester City is still under investigation by the Premier League for 115 alleged breaches of its financial rules over nine seasons between 2009 and 2018, during which time they won the league title three times.
The Premier League alleges that City failed to provide accurate financial information, did not fully disclose financial remunerations to managers, and did not comply with UEFA’s financial fair play rules. City unequivocally denies these allegations, and a hearing is set for November 2024.
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