Man City fined more than $1 million for kickoff delays

MANCHESTER, England:

Manchester City were fined more than one million pounds ($1.35 million) by the English Premier League on Thursday for repeatedly delaying kickoff times "without good reason" last season.

City, managed by Pep Guardiola, admitted to nine breaches of league rules related to kickoffs and restarts after half-time, and has apologised.

The most dominant team in English soccer over the past decade was handed fines for each breach, amounting to 1.08 million pounds ($1.45 million).

The biggest individual fine was 210,000 pounds ($283,000) for a delay of two minutes, 22 seconds at the start of the second half against Ipswich on January 19.

"Rules relating to kickoffs 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 Premier League said in a statement. "It also ensures the broadcast of every Premier League match is kept to schedule."

City, currently in the United States for the Club World Cup, delayed kickoffs for the start of both halves in a match against Manchester United in December. The start of the second half was delayed two minutes, 24 seconds -- the longest of all the breaches.

Last year, City were fined 2.09 million pounds ($2.8 million) for 22 breaches of the same rule over the previous two seasons.

City are still waiting on the outcome of a hearing into more than 100 charges of alleged financial breaches over a nine-year period. The hearing began in September last year, after charges were made in February 2023.

- AP