When used appropriately rules usually provide a sense of consistency and predictability. Over the years, English Premier League (EPL) clubs have come up with new rules, aimed at either taming behaviour or boosting performance.
However, some of the rules and fines introduced by some of these top flight clubs, including Chelsea and recently Aston Villa have sparked mixed reactions across the football spectrum.
TeamKenya.co.ke takes a look at some of the weird fines introduced by EPL clubs in the past five years.
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Aston Villa FC
A leaked Aston Villa fine list went viral online on Wednesday July 27, 2022. The list had hefty fines for breaking rules such as failing to bring cakes on birthdays and leaving cups and plates on the dining table.
According to the leaked list, a player who fails to bring a cake during birthdays will have to pay a fine of €50 (kSH6,000) a day, while those who leave utensils on the club's dining table will part ways with a €100 (kSH12,000) per item.
Some of the other fines in the list include €500 (Ksh59,000) for arriving late for training, €200 (Ksh24,000) a minute for lateness during meetings and a whopping €1000 (Ksh118,000) for not being there on time for coach or meeting during a match day.
Chelsea FC
Chelsea players were also subjected to hefty fines during Frank Lampard’s reign at the North London-based side.
Three years ago, a fine list signed by the current Everton tactician leaked showing the amount of money Chelsea players were to pay whenever they breached the rules set by the management.
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According to the fine list which first appeared on Reddit, Chelsea stars were to part with €2,500 (Ksh300,000) if they arrived late for treatment or match days. The fine would have shot to €20,000 (Ksh2.4m) if a player gets to the training ground late.
The other fines were €5,000 (Ksh600,000) and €10,000 (Ksh1.2m) for not showing up during community duties and for failing to report injuries or illness ninety minutes before a training session respectively.
Manchester United FC
Newly appointed Manchester United head coach Erik Ten Hag has also introduced tough rules and fines ahead of his maiden season in the English top flight. Ten Hag’s fines are slightly different from the Aston Villa and Chelsea ones as most of them involve being dropped from the squad and paying fines.
Some of the rules introduced by the no nonsense tactician include dropping players who arrive late for meetings or training and checking body mass index for each player at the end of every month.
The Red Devils players are also required to address complaints to him, eat whatever meal the club’s chefs prepare and not drink alcohol during game weeks.
Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes recently backed his manager arguing that discipline is crucial.
“We missed that for a while and discipline is important. Discipline is not only the way you play, the position that you have, what you have to do, it’s also off the pitch.
“Don’t be late for the meetings, don’t be late for the meals. That’s really important because if everyone is on time and someone comes late, he should be punished,” Fernandes was quoted by The Guardian.
Manchester United has not made public the amount of fines players will pay for breaking a rule.
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