Manchester City Fined for Repeated Kickoff Delays

Manchester City has been penalized £1.08 million (US$1.45 million) by the Premier League due to multiple late kickoffs and match restarts, totaling nine incidents during the previous season. The announcement was made by officials from England’s top-tier league on Thursday.

This marks the second consecutive year that the club has faced such a fine. Last year, City paid 2 million pounds ($2.56 million) for similar breaches of game-delay regulations.

The most significant delay, lasting two minutes and 24 seconds, occurred before the second half of the Manchester derby held at Old Trafford in December.

The club has acknowledged and apologized for the violations, affirming that players and staff have been reminded of their obligations to adhere to the regulations.

According to a league statement, the rules pertaining to kick-offs and re-starts are in place to uphold the highest professional standards in competition organization and to provide clarity for fans and participating clubs.

The statement also highlighted that these rules ensure the broadcast schedule of every Premier League match is maintained.

The Premier League specified that the fines were related to City’s home matches against Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, West Ham United, and Newcastle United, as well as their away games against Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, and Ipswich Town.

In the previous Premier League season, City finished third with 71 points, trailing behind Arsenal (74 points) and champions Liverpool (84 points).

Manchester City, who recently experienced a defeat in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace, is currently participating in the Club World Cup, where they secured a victory against Wydad AC in their initial match.