Manchester City have received a significant penalty after admitting 10 separate breaches of Premier League rules.
The club has been locked in a legal dispute with the Premier League regarding 115 allegations related to financial rule violations, with a private hearing held in December.
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In a separate lawsuit, City challenged the legitimacy of the league’s Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules, which prevent clubs from profiting from commercial deals with companies linked to their owners at above “fair market value.”
In short, City won this case, as the APT rules in their previous form were considered unenforceable, but the Premier League claims that the decision does not affect the current APT rules, as the clubs voted them in in November 2024.
But a lesser-known third case has been ongoing between the parties – and City have now admitted that they breached a strict Premier League rule 10 times during the 2024/25 season.
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What went wrong?
The club violated Rule L.33, which applies to kick-off and restart of matches, in nine different matches this season.
It was determined that City delayed the start of the second half by between 1 minute and 18 seconds up to 2 minutes and 24 seconds each time.
They have been fined a total of £1.08 million for the 10 violations. The highest single penalty was £210,000 for starting the second half 2 minutes and 22 seconds late in an away game against Ipswich.
Two of the fractures were in the same game – the 2-1 loss at home to Manchester United in December – and are therefore considered a single fracture.
Premier League statement
In a statement, the Premier League said:
“The Premier League and Manchester City have reached an agreement on sanctions after the club has accepted that they breached Rule L.33 regarding kick-off and restart
.”
– “The violations occurred in nine Premier League games in the 2024/25 season.”
– “Kick-off and restart rules ensure that the competition is organized at the highest possible professional level and provide predictability for fans and participating clubs. It also ensures that the broadcast of every Premier League match is kept on time.”
City sorry
The Premier League also states that City has “accepted and apologized” for the violations, and that the club has “reminded the players and the sporting management team of their responsibility to follow Rule L.33.”
This is a relatively minor case compared to the 115 financial charges that still hang over the club, but it underlines that even small breaches are not overlooked by the Premier League.
