Manchester City archive image.©AFP
Manchester City have been fined £2.09 million ($2.68 million, €2.48 million) by the Premier League for 22 instances of delaying the start or restart of games, it was announced on Wednesday. The English champions have accepted the punishment, which relates to rule breaches over the past two seasons, the league confirmed. This issue is unrelated to the 115 charges City face for alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations.
A Premier League statement said: “The Premier League and Manchester City FC have entered into a sanction agreement after the club accepted that it had breached Premier League Rule L.33 relating to kick-off and restart obligations.”
City were punished on a sliding scale for each infraction.
The first, a delay of one minute and 18 seconds to the start of the second half against Crystal Palace in August 2022, prompted a warning.
But fines ranging from £10,000 to £200,000 were imposed for each subsequent breach.
The longest delay was two minutes and 46 seconds at the start of the final game of the season against West Ham last season, when City won a record fourth consecutive English title.
The statement added: “The rules relating to kick-offs and restarts help to ensure that the organization of the competition is set to the highest possible professional standard and provide security for fans and participating clubs.
“It also ensures that the broadcast of all 380 League games around the world is kept on schedule.”
City did not comment directly, but the ruling said: “The club has apologized for the accepted breaches… and confirmed that it has reminded the club’s players and football management teams of their responsibilities in complying with Rule L.33.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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