Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has humorously suggested fining singers for late restarts, amidst his team's recent penalties for delayed kick-offs. The Premier League previously penalized Manchester City with a fine exceeding £1 million due to late kick-offs and restarts in nine matches during the 2024-25 season.

The breaches occurred between October and February and included a significant delay during the Manchester derby. The longest delay was recorded at two minutes and 24 seconds before the second half of the Manchester derby at Old Trafford in December. Aside from the Manchester derby, the longest delays were two minutes and 22 seconds during restarts against West Ham and Ipswich.

Manchester City accepted the penalties and apologized for the incidents. The Premier League emphasized that rules regarding kick-offs and restarts ensure the competition's organization is maintained at the highest professional standard, providing certainty to fans and participating clubs, and ensuring broadcasts remain on schedule. The fines relate to delays in both home and away matches, including fixtures against Southampton, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, West Ham, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, and Ipswich Town.

This isn't the first time Manchester City has faced penalties for such violations. The club was fined over £2 million the previous year for 22 breaches of the kick-off and restart rules. Guardiola's team finished third in the Premier League last season, ending their four-year reign as champions, and also suffered a defeat in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.

Rule L.33 of the Premier League states that any club delaying a League Match kick-off or restart after half-time without good reason will face disciplinary action.

Guardiola has previously taken a swipe at 'Spanish referees' after Manchester City conceded a late penalty to Monaco in the Champions League. Following a 2-2 draw, Guardiola stated, "Nothing to say to Spanish referees". He added, "We played a really good game... If you analyze the game there were many things that were good".

In October 2025, a controversial late penalty decision cost Manchester City two Champions League points against Monaco. Manchester City were held to a 2-2 draw by Monaco after conceding a late penalty. The penalty was awarded after a VAR review, with Nico Gonzalez judged to have made high contact with Eric Dier inside the box.