Manchester City receives a heavy penalty from the Premier League.

Manchester City has been fined over £2 million by the Premier League for violating the rules regarding the start and restart times of matches 22 times over the past two seasons.

The club, which recently won its fourth consecutive Premier League title, faces a significant fine from the Premier League. They have been fined £2.09 million (nearly VND 68 billion) for breaching rule L.33 of the league, which pertains to the timing of the start and restart of matches.

According to the Premier League’s announcement, Man City violated this rule 22 times during the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons. The violations included delaying the start of matches or the restart after halftime without a justified reason. In total, the delays amounted to 39 minutes and 52 seconds.

The fines were applied on a sliding scale, with each subsequent violation being fined between £10,000 and £200,000. The longest recorded delay was 2 minutes and 46 seconds, which occurred in the final match of the 2023/24 season against West Ham.

Some examples of affected matches include the home game against Crystal Palace on August 27, 2022, delayed by 1 minute and 18 seconds at the start of the second half; the home game against Everton on December 31, 2022, delayed by 2 minutes and 33 seconds before kickoff; the home game against Newcastle on August 19, 2023, delayed by a total of 3 minutes and 51 seconds for both the start and restart of the match; and the home game against West Ham on May 19, 2024, delayed by 2 minutes and 46 seconds before kickoff.

The Premier League emphasized the importance of adhering to timing regulations in a statement: “The regulations regarding the start and restart of matches help ensure that the organization of the league is conducted to the highest professional standards possible, providing certainty for fans and participating clubs. It also ensures that the broadcast of all 380 league matches worldwide is carried out on schedule.”

Manchester City has accepted the penalty and expressed remorse. The club has apologized for the violations and confirmed that they have reminded players and coaching staff of their responsibility to comply with Rule L.33.

It is important to note that this case is unrelated to the ongoing investigation into 115 alleged financial regulation breaches that Manchester City is facing. These two matters are entirely separate and handled independently by the Premier League’s regulatory authorities. The penalty has been approved by three members of the Independent Judicial Panel, ensuring fairness and transparency in the decision-making process.

For Manchester City, this serves as an important reminder to adhere to league regulations. While success on the pitch is commendable, maintaining professional standards off the pitch is equally crucial.

Looking ahead, Man City will face the dual challenge of maintaining top performance on the field while ensuring strict compliance with league regulations. The team will have the opportunity to demonstrate improvement as they begin the new season with the FA Community Shield match against Manchester United on August 10, before officially starting their Premier League title defense against Chelsea on August 18.