Manchester City fined £1m by Premier League

Manchester City have been slapped with more than £1 million fine by the Premier League over delayed kickoffs and restarts. 

The Citizens have reached a sanction agreement with the league over the rule breaches that occurred during nine matches between October and February. 

The Guardian report the longest delay (two minutes and 24 seconds) happened before the resumption of the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium last December. 

In a statement, the Premier League confirmed that City had accepted and apologised for the breaches, with the fines totalling £1.08. 

The English giants have also reminded their players and staff of their responsibility to adhere to the rules. 

The League’s statement read: “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 every Premier League match is kept to schedule.”

This is not the first time Pep Guardiola’s side have breached rules and  were punished for that. 

Last summer, the club breached kickoff and restart rules 22 times and were fined more than £2m. 

City were also charged with breaking financial rules on 115 occasions in February 2023, with those subsequently increasing to 130. 

They have vehemently denied any wrongdoing, with a verdict on the matter expected to be revealed in 2025.  

Despite the charges, the Citizens have been very active in January and the ongoing transfer window. 

They spent around £180m to sign the likes of Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Omar Marmoush in January. 

It is still early days in the summer transfer window but City have already sealed transfers for Rayan Ait-Nouri, Marcus Bettinelli, Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders.