Villa fined £125,000 for breaking multi-ball rules

Aston Villa have been fined £125,000 after accepting they broke the Premier League's multi-ball rules in five matches last season.

The report, external found ball boys and girls on several occasions handed the ball to Villa players, rather than follow the rules and let them collect it from cones around the pitch.

Extra balls were positioned in some matches for Villa players taking corners and on one occasion a ball was thrown on to the pitch when an opposition goalkeeper was already holding a ball to restart play with a goal-kick.

"Clubs are required to adopt a multi-ball 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," said the Premier League.

"The club will pay a £125,000 fine and will be prohibited from operating the multi-ball system in its first three home league matches of the 2025/26 season."