Manchester City has been fined over £1 million by the Premier League for breaching regulations concerning delayed kick-offs and restarts in nine matches during the 2024/25 season. The league announced the sanction, which totals £1.08 million, following an investigation into incidents that occurred between October and February. Notably, the longest delay recorded was two minutes and 24 seconds during the Manchester derby at Old Trafford in December.

The specific matches that contributed to this fine include games against Southampton, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Manchester United, Aston Villa, West Ham, Ipswich Town, and Newcastle. The Premier League stated that the club accepted responsibility for these breaches of Rule L.33, which mandates that teams must avoid causing delays to match proceedings without good reason.

This fine follows a previous penalty where City was fined over £2 million for similar infractions in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons. The league emphasized the importance of adhering to kick-off and restart regulations to maintain the integrity and organization of the competition, ensuring that matches run on schedule for fans and broadcasters alike.

Interestingly, this matter is unrelated to the ongoing 115 charges faced by Manchester City concerning alleged breaches of financial regulations, which the club continues to deny. The club has 14 days to pay the fine as stipulated in the sanction agreement.