Keith Hackett backs Premier League as £530k Leeds United fine emerges
Keith Hackett has backed the Premier League and believes they were right to fine Leeds United.
The Elland Road side has been handed a £530,000 punishment after delaying kick-offs and second-half restarts in nine matches this season.
The Premier League confirmed on 20 March that they have entered into a sanction agreement with the club, with the Whites accepting causing delays without good reason on nine separate occasions.
The former PGMOL chief thinks it is mainly about TV scheduling reasons, which is why the Peacocks have been made an example of.
Leeds are looking to maintain their Premier League status at all costs, so any advantage that they can get will help them out, but it may come at a cost.
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What did Hackett say about Leeds fine?
Hackett recently spoke out about decisions against Leeds, but believes that it is mostly for television purposes, that the Yorkshire side have been punished the way they have this time around.
Speaking exclusively to MOT Leeds News, he said: “I have expressed before the importance of kicking off both halves of the game on time.
Delays have an impact on television schedules around the world, television contributes a huge amount of income into the game.
| Date | Game | Delay | Length | Sanction |
| 18 August 2025 | Leeds United vs Everton | Kick-off and restart | Kick off: two minutes Restart: two minutes and 25 seconds | £10,000 |
| 30 August 2025 | Leeds United vs Newcastle | Kick-off | One minute and 24 seconds | £10,000 |
| 13 September 2025 | Fulham vs Leeds United | Restart | One minute and 17 seconds | £20,000 |
| 18 October 2025 | Burnley vs Leeds United | Kick-off | Two minutes and 50 seconds | £20,000 |
| 1 November 2025 | Brighton vs Leeds United | Kick-off and restart | Kick off: one minute and 45 seconds Restart: two minutes and one second | £75,000 |
| 9 November 2025 | Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United | Kick-off and restart | Kick off: one minute and 54 seconds Restart: one minute and 20 seconds | £85,000 |
| 29 November 2025 | Manchester City vs Leeds United | Restart | One minute and 30 seconds | £90,000 |
| 14 December 2025 | Brentford vs Leeds United | Restart | One minute and 30 seconds | £100,000 |
| 17 January 2026 | Leeds United vs Fulham | Restart | One minute and 27 seconds | £120,000 |
“You will notice on Premier league games that the television company provide at the halfway line a member of their staff to advise the referee to start the game.
“Certainly, when I was the boss of the PGMOL we were fully aware of the importance of not delaying the restarts.
“Television companies operating in the 211 Territories around the world often do not have specialist panels reviewing the match
“When kick off is delayed their screens are blank until the game goes ahead, this will send out a reminder to clubs of their obligation to television companies.”
How much will future breaches cost Leeds?
Leeds are set to incur further fines if they continue to breach kick-off rules.
The terms of the agreement state that it will be a £100,000 fine for any delays between one minute and a minute and a half.
That penalty will increase to £130,000 if the delays are over 90 seconds, and a £170,000 fine will be applied if they surpass two minutes.
Each successive breach will set the LS11 club back a further £20,000, on top of the fines listed above.
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