The Premier League has fined Manchester City £2.09m for 22 instances of delayed starts or restarts of matches.
The champions have accepted the sanction, which relates to breaches of the rules over the past two seasons, the league has confirmed. The matter is unrelated to the 115 charges City face for alleged breaches of the competition's financial rules.
A statement from the Premier league read: “The Premier League and Manchester City FC have reached a sanction agreement after the club accepted that it breached Premier League Rule L.33 relating to kick-off and restart obligations.”
City have been fined on a progressive scale for each offence. The first, a delay of one minute and 18 seconds to the start of the second half against Crystal Palace in August 2022, resulted in a warning. Fines ranging from £10,000 to £200,000 have then been handed out for each subsequent offence. The longest delay was two minutes and 46 seconds to the start of the final game of the season against West Ham last season, when City secured their fourth consecutive title.
The statement added: “The rules relating to starts and restarts help ensure that the organisation of the competition is set to the highest possible professional standard and provide certainty for fans and participating clubs.
“It also ensures that the broadcast of the League’s 380 matches around the world continues as scheduled.”
City have not commented directly, but the ruling states: “The club has apologised for the accepted breaches… and has confirmed that it has reminded the club's players and football management of their responsibilities in complying with Rule L.33.”
