'It's huge' - Expert reacts as Aston Villa punishment confirmed by Premier League
Aston Villa could have easily been fined much more after being punished for late kick-offs in the Premier League last season.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that, while Villa will get the message, it could be a much a much harsher punishment.
The Villans have been hit with a £570,000 fine after admitting to late kick-offs in nine different matches during 2025-26, landing their first back in August against Brentford.
Villa's most recent rule breach came against Chelsea in March, an incident which earned them £150,000-worth of fines from the Premier League.
Putting it into context, Manchester City were fined over £1million, also for nine cases of late kick-offs, last summer, but that after already breaking rules in the previous campaign.
Having already set a precedent, Hackett now believes that the Villans should be thankful that the fine wasn't a much bigger figure.
Aston Villa fined £570,000 by the Premier League
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former PGMOL chief suggested that that amount of money just "gets lost" at this level.
"I think they're very lucky to get away with that level of fine. When we look at the finances of a football club in the millions, I think it's a slap rather than a punch," he said.
"So, I think they will get the message. But who pays the fine? Is it the owners? Yes, it comes out of the owner's pocket.
"It gets lost, that amount of money in the Premier League. It's a small fee, isn't it, when you look at it? For the normal fan it's a huge amount of money.
"There's a reason behind it that I've basically explained and that is this. The Premier League is beamed to like 45 television companies to 211 countries around the world.
"The majority of those countries do not have pundits and an hour-long show before the game is played. It's just a normal television show.
"It's more than that, though, because it gets huge exposure, huge people watching it, and all that goes with it."
Why UEFA is more streamlined than the Premier League
Hackett compared the Premier League's process to UEFA's, explaining why Champions League games seemingly have fewer kick-off issues.
"What UEFA have is, on the back of the dressing room door in a UEFA Champions League game and handed to you, is a countdown clock," he said.
"Not a clock, but a very clear, specific, detailed program of the lead-up to that game. That includes what time the players and the teams are leaving their hotel.
"It also includes what time the police arrive for the police escorts, and at what time medics and fire brigade arrive."
As more fines are issues, Premier League clubs could begin to cut down on their late kick-offs, but this amount of money may not be enough to deter them.