In a dramatic turn of events, Premier League champions Manchester City have been fined £2.09 million for delaying the start and second half of PL matches on 22 occasions.
Manchester City scripted history this year by winning its fourth Premier League title in a row. In a tight contest with Arsenal, City bounced back handsomely in the second half to not only retain the title but also leave an irreplaceable legacy in the prestigious tournament.
However, dark clouds have since continued to hover over City as the club has been stuck in multiple legal cases. Besides the financial fair play breach charges, the Cityzens were recently fined for not being disciplined on multiple occasions during the PL 2023-24 season.
As per a report from BBC News, Manchester City were found guilty of coming out late for the start of the match as well as after the half-time interval without any good reason.
The offence was allegedly committed on 22 different occasions, thus resulting in a hefty £2.09 million fine. While the amount seems ridiculous, the Premier League asserted in a statement that delayed kick-off timings disrupt the broadcast of the games across the world.
It was a blatant breach of discipline, and despite getting enough warnings, City continued to commit the breach. Hence, PL was forced to take action to send a clear message and avoid unnecessary delays in the future.
While Manchester City accepted the charges, no official refused to provide a statement to any media house. Manager Pep Guardiola did address the events and promised to keep his half-time speeches in the locker room shorter.
Notably, this isn’t the first time City were fined for delayed scheduled start times. In the 2022-23 PL season, the team were charged with 14 breaches and received a fine amounting to £1.7m. The longest delay turned out to be 2 minutes and 46 seconds which happened during the final game against West Ham this year.
Having said that, Manchester City will once again land in court this year as PL have initiated an inquiry in 115 charges for alleged breach of financial regulation.
An external disciplinary committee is expected to review the charges which apparently date back to 2009. While City outrightly denied the charges and are ready to prove the same in the court of law, a probable conviction could lead to disqualification or even a ban given the severity of the breach committed.