Manchester City Fined £1.08m by Premier League for Repeated Late Kick-Offs

Manchester City have been handed a £1.08 million fine by the Premier League after a series of late kick-offs and second-half restarts during the 2024–25 season—despite previously being warned over similar breaches the year before.

The reigning champions delayed the start or resumption of nine matches, with the most notable infraction coming during December’s Manchester derby, where the second half began 2 minutes and 24 seconds late.

City accepted the charges and issued an apology, with the Premier League confirming that the fine must be paid within 14 days.

This marks a reduction from the previous season (2023–24), where the club was fined £2.09 million for 22 delays. At the time, manager Pep Guardiola had promised to shorten half-time team talks in an effort to prevent further sanctions.

In a statement, the Premier League said:

“Rules relating to kick-offs and restarts ensure the highest professional standards, operational certainty, and alignment with broadcast schedules. Clubs must respect these timings.”

The timing infractions come amid an ongoing and highly publicised investigation into 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations by Manchester City, covering a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018. That case is still pending and under review by an independent commission.

City, who failed to win a major trophy last season, claim that the delays were partially due to the need for more detailed mid-game tactical instructions from Guardiola and his coaching staff. Nonetheless, the Premier League remains firm, noting that broadcast partners rely on punctual kick-offs as part of multi-billion-pound rights deals.

Despite the breach, City highlighted a 59% reduction in delays compared to the previous season and reaffirmed their commitment to improved timekeeping.

However, critics remain divided. Some argue Guardiola's intense in-game focus is the cause; others say the club is simply not giving enough priority to the rules.

With broadcasting contracts under intense scrutiny and fixture schedules tightly controlled, this latest fine serves as a reminder that even football’s elite are not above operational compliance—and further penalties could follow if standards don’t improve.