Multiball Sanction

[Legion]

https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4374016/premier-league-statement-aston-villa-sanction

[Legion]

The Premier League has entered into a sanction agreement with Aston Villa FC after the club accepted it had breached the Premier League’s multiball rules.
 
First introduced in the 2022/23 season, the multiball system is intended to maintain the flow of League matches, reduce delays and enhance the fan experience.

Clubs are required to adopt a multiball system at every League match and adherence to the relevant rules and guidance is of vital importance to maintain consistency and, crucially, to ensure that home clubs do not gain a competitive advantage through their misuse of the system.
 
The accepted breach was the club’s fifth of the multiball rules during the 2024/25 season.
 
The club will pay a £125,000 fine and will be prohibited from operating the multiball system in its first three home League matches of the 2025/26 season.

[Legion]

The objective of multiball is to minimise interruption to the match when the  ball goes out of play by ensuring that replacement balls are readily available to players if required.

There will be 15 match balls in use:

-One ball will be used in play
-One ball will be with the Fourth Official
-13 replacement balls will be distributed evenly around the pitch, including two behind each goal line

When the match ball goes out of play, players must either:

-Retrieve the original match ball themselves to restart play
-Go to the nearest cone to collect a replacement ball themselves to restart play

Rule change

Ball Assistants are not permitted to provide a replacement ball, or return the original match ball, to any outfield Players. 

Ball Assistants located behind each goal are permitted to provide a ball only to the goalkeeper of the team who will restart play via a goal kick.

The multiball system

-The cones and the Ball Assistants must remain in the same positions for the entirety of the league match

-Participants (including but not limited to players, substitutes, occupants of the Technical Area or any other Club personnel) must not interfere with the multiball system, the match ball or the replacement balls at any time

-The use of the multiball system will be managed by the Referee who can, if he/she deems it necessary, order that the multiball system be altered or deactivated, and a single ball system be implemented for the remainder of the league match

-Any failure to follow the multiball protocol will be referred to the Premier League for further investigation and possible regulatory action under the Premier League rules

-In the event that an additional ball enters the field of play during the match, the Referee will stop play only if the additional 
ball interferes with play. The Referee shall have the additional ball removed at the earliest opportunity (pursuant to Law 5.3 of the IFAB Laws of the Game)

-The replacement balls located behind each goal line must be positioned in line with the 18-yard box

[Clampy]

A load of bollocks (or should that be balls)?

[Legion]

We're not being allowed to use what we weren't doing anyway.

[Paul.S]

What a load of crap!
Maybe sanction themselves for the constant cock ups with VAR, which has more effect on clubs and fans than this.

[cdbearsfan]

What have we actually done wrong?

[Brazilian Villain]

What have we actually done wrong?

AFAIK used the correct system when we were behind and it was their ball, but speeded it up (ball boys threw it to Villa players) when it was our ball.

[Smithy]

We're not being allowed to use what we weren't doing anyway.

Yeah, it's very misleading. We breached the rules, but which one(s)?  Having enough balls? It reads as though a ball boy handing the ball to an outfield player is a "breach", so maybe we've been using it to get play started "too quickly", rather than the opposite?  God knows.

[PeterWithesShin]

The rules, and how we broke them

[PeterWithesShin]

The sanction agreement

[Nev]

Time wasting was gone on for years yet when we start a bit of it, the balloon goes up.

Wait for the outrage when only certain keepers get penalised with that other new rule this season, we all know who will top of the list despite most others doing precisely the same.

It happened when David Fuckin' Elerey did it to David James at Highbury, despite the fact that our keeper was carrying an injury. Wanker.

And if anyone accuses me of having a persecution complex, yes I fuckin' have and will be airing it on the Holte tomorrow and all fucking season.

[Toronto Villa]

Just another head shaking moment. Pep and Arteta’s teams foul constantly to intentionally slow down an opponent attack but that is affectionately known as the “dark arts”. But that’s ok. And we get fined for this.

[PeterWithesShin]

Man City had a £1m fine in June for delaying second half kick offs. We broke the rules and were busted. Serves us right.

Manchester City have been fined over £1m by the Premier League after repeatedly kicking-off or restarting matches late last season.

Nine of City's matches last season started or restarted late, with the longest delay coming before the second half of the Manchester derby in December 2024 which resumed two minutes and 24 seconds later than billed.

The Premier League said City had accepted and apologised for the breaches, external, with the fines totalling £1.08m. They have 14 days to pay.

Last season the club were fined £2.09m for delaying 22 matches, and manager Pep Guardiola said he would try and make his team talks shorter.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c628d92wnr9o

[cdbearsfan]

What have we actually done wrong?

AFAIK used the correct system when we were behind and it was their ball, but speeded it up (ball boys threw it to Villa players) when it was our ball.

So the rule is designed to get the ball back into play as quickly as possible and we have been penalised for... getting the ball back into play as quickly as possible.