Manchester City FC has been fined over £2m for delaying kick-offs at the start of games and half-time, during the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.
The club delayed games a total of 22 times, with the Premier League stating it was “without good reason.”
During the 2022/23 season, Manchester City breached the rules eight times resulting in a £390,000 fine. In the 2023-24 season, they breached the rules 14 times, leading to fines totalling £1.7m.
In a statement, the Premier League said that the club had “apologised for the accepted breaches and confirmed that it has reminded the players and football management teams of their responsibilities
“Rules relating to kick-offs and restarts 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 all 380 league matches around the world is kept to schedule.”
The current Premier League champions were first warned about delaying kick-offs on 27 August 2022, after postponing a restart by one minute and 18 seconds against Crystal Palace.
Since then, City has faced fines between £10,000 and £200,000. The longest delay recorded was two minutes and 46 seconds in a match against West Ham United on 19 May 2024 – a 3-1 victory that sealed a fourth consecutive Premier League title on the last day of the season.
In March 2023, the league’s independent disciplinary commission imposed a £220,000 fine on Crystal Palace, with £70,000 suspended, for causing delays in two October 2022 matches. These incidents were Palace’s 13th and 14th breaches over two seasons.
Rival supporters of City might have hoped the fines were related to the club’s 115 alleged breaches, but they likely would have been disappointed with the outcome if that were the case.
Later this year, a Premier League disciplinary commission is expected to review 115 charges against City for allegedly violating financial regulations, which has seen the club raise legal action against the league.
