Big fine for Manchester City! Why the Premier League slammed penalty on Pep Guardiola's side

Manchester City have been fined more than £1 million by the Premier League for delayed kick-offs and restarts in nine matches during the 2024-25 season, the league announced on Thursday.

Pep Guardiola’s side breached rules on kick-off and restart times between October and February, with the longest delay recorded at two minutes and 24 seconds before the second half of the Manchester derby at Old Trafford in December.The total fines amount to £1.08 million ($1.45 million). The Premier League said City accepted the breaches and apologized for the incidents. “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,” the league said in a statement.

“It also ensures the broadcast of every Premier League match is kept to schedule.

”Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The fines relate to delays in both home and away matches, including fixtures against Southampton, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, West Ham, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, and Ipswich Town. The longest delays, aside from the Manchester derby, were two minutes and 22 seconds during restarts against West Ham and Ipswich.

This is not the first time Manchester City have been penalized for such breaches. Last year, the club was fined over £2 million for 22 violations of the kick-off and restart rules. Guardiola’s team finished third in the Premier League last season, ending their four-year reign as champions. They also suffered a shock FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace.

Currently, City are competing in the Club World Cup in the United States and are awaiting the outcome of 115 separate allegations related to potential breaches of Financial Fair Play regulations dating from 2009 to the 2022-23 season. The club has consistently denied any wrongdoing.