Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has publicly acknowledged that his club is preparing for potential new penalties from the Premier League, following a series of costly timekeeping breaches. The Catalan coach confirmed that club officials have warned him about his schedule after City accumulated a staggering £3 million in fines over the past two seasons for delayed match kick-offs.
The Cost of Extended Team Talks
The Premier League champions have faced significant financial penalties due to their consistent failure to adhere to competition schedules. Last season alone, Manchester City received a £1 million fine for cumulative delays, with one particularly lengthy half-time team talk from Guardiola causing a restart delay of two minutes and 24 seconds.
This represented a slight improvement from the previous campaign, where the club was hit with an even larger £2.09 million penalty for committing 22 separate delays. The Premier League maintains that strict timekeeping "helps to ensure the organisation of the competition is set at the highest possible professional standard."
Press Conference Protocol Breaches
The timekeeping issues extended beyond the pitch this week, forcing Guardiola to adjust his media commitments. The City boss was compelled to move his pre-Newcastle press conference to 9am on Friday after club staff informed him that hosting it at his preferred 2pm time would result in further fines.
"The club said if I don't start by 2pm they will fine me or fine the club," Guardiola explained. The Premier League prefers Friday pre-match press conferences to be underway by 1.30pm, a deadline City had already tested with two recent 2pm starts.
Guardiola expressed frustration at what he perceives as double standards, pointing to the Champions League final where pre-match entertainment caused delays. "We paid a lot of money as I'm late at half-time, but when we played in the Champions League final they had a show before the game and they are always late. They have to fine the singers!"
Team News and Acceptance
Despite the off-pitch controversies, Guardiola provided positive team news ahead of City's clash with Newcastle, confirming that almost all players are fit except midfielders Rodri and Mateo Kovacic.
Regarding Rodri's recovery, Guardiola stated: "He is making good steps, it's almost three weeks since he made the last little step back. He knows that we have to take real time to recover fine, recover well, mentally and especially physically from the problems he had."
Ultimately, the City manager accepted the Premier League's stance, conceding that "rules are rules" while acknowledging the league is "impeccable for that" in maintaining standards.
