$2.5 million: Manchester City fined for delay in matches

Manchester City was fined $2.68 million for being late 22 times in starting or completing matches after scoring goals, according to what the English Premier League announced on Wednesday.

City agreed to the penalty for violating the rules over the past two seasons, according to what the league confirmed.

The league indicated in a statement that City “agreed that it had violated the Premier League’s rule (L.33) relating to obligations relating to the start and resumption of matches.”

City were punished according to a progressive scale for each violation.

The first offense was a delay of 1 minute and 18 seconds at the start of the second half against Crystal Palace in August 2022, which resulted in a warning.

Fines ranging from approximately $13,000 to approximately $256,000 were imposed for each subsequent violation.

The longest delay was 2 minutes and 46 seconds to the start of the last match last season against West Ham.

The statement added, “The rules regarding the start and resumption of matches help ensure that the competition is organized according to the highest possible professional level and provide certainty to the fans and participating clubs.”

He continued, "It also ensures that all 380 matches in the league around the world remain broadcast according to the schedule."

City did not comment directly on the matter, but the decision said: “The club apologized for the breaches it agreed it had committed... and confirmed that it had reminded the club’s players and management teams of their responsibilities in complying with Rule L.33.”

Source: Agence France-Presse