Leeds United fined £530,000 for nine Premier League breaches of kick-off rule | OneFootball

Leeds United have been fined more than £500,000 this season for nine breaches of Premier League Rule L.33 covering late kick-offs and half-time restarts, the league confirmed in a sanction agreement with the club.

Rules on kick-offs and restarts are designed to maintain high professional standards and to keep match broadcasts on time.

Leeds accepted responsibility for nine separate delays to kick-off or the post-interval restart, ranging from one minute 17 seconds to two minutes 50 seconds. The affected fixtures included home games against Everton, Newcastle United and Fulham, plus trips to Fulham, Burnley, Brighton and Hove Albion, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Brentford. For Everton at Elland Road and away at Brighton and Forest, both the kick-off and the restart were delayed.

Each offence carries a financial penalty that rises from £10,000 for a first breach to £100,000 for an eighth, with the total reaching £530,000 after the Fulham home match was delayed by just under 90 seconds.

Further delays will trigger £100,000 for between one minute and one minute 30 seconds, £130,000 if over 90 seconds, and £170,000 for more than two minutes. Additional cumulative sums of £20,000 apply to each successive breach, with caps of £200,000 for delays up to two minutes 30 seconds and £250,000 for those exceeding two minutes 30 seconds.

Leeds have accepted and apologised for the breaches and have made improved compliance with Rule L.33 a key objective. Leeds United were approached for comment.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk