Manchester City were once again the measure of all things in the English top flight in the most recent 2023/24 season – but in a different category. The league has now sentenced the Skyblues to a hefty fine
In the 2022/23 championship season, the English league had already identified infringements by the Manchester City team during kick-offs and restarts after the change of ends – and again last season.
In total, there were 22 (!) cases of infringements, which cost the equivalent of between €11,800 and €238,000 – eight from the previous season and 14 from the most recent Premier League season.
And this now has consequences: The English serial champions, who lost a test match against Pep Guardiola’s former club Barcelona last night, have been fined around 2.5 million euros by the Premier League. This was officially announced by the league on Wednesday. The Citizens signed a sanction agreement after the club admitted to the misconduct.
Safety and transfer reasons
“The kick-off and restart rules help to maintain the organization of the competition at the highest possible professional level and provide security for fans and participating clubs,” the Premier League wrote in justification. “It will also ensure that all 380 league matches around the world are broadcast on time.”
Incidentally, ManCity is not the first English club to be hit with such a penalty. In August 2023, Crystal Palace was fined the equivalent of around €260,000 (€83,000 of which was suspended) for kicking off two matches late in the 2022/23 season
