ASTON VILLA have been slapped with a hefty £125,000 fine after admitting to breaking Premier League rules on the multiball system.
The Premier League has confirmed that Villa breached the system, which was introduced two seasons ago to keep games flowing and improve the fan experience.
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Clubs must ensure 15 balls are readily available to all players so that when the ball goes out of play, the game can rapidly restart.
A Premier League statement read: “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.”
Unai Emery‘s side accepted that they had violated the rule five times during the 2024/2025 season, which led to them being hit hard by the governing body.
It’s understood Ball Assistants provided replacement balls from the cones directly to Villa players when not permitted to do so.
There were also additional Ball Assistants behind the goal Villa were attacking, but not at the other end.
Another incident saw a Ball Assistant throw an additional ball on the pitch when an opposing player was trying to take a goal kick.
In addition to the fine, Villa will also be banned from using the multiball system in their first three home league games of the 2025/26 season.
Premier League’s multiball rules
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
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Those home games are against Newcastle, Crystal and Fulham will all feel the impact of this punishment.
Villa’s breach serves as a reminder that all clubs must comply with these important guidelines.
Meanwhile, the club is increasingly hopeful that Morgan Rogers will be fit for Saturday’s Premier League opener against Newcastle.
The forward, a contender for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, injured his ankle in a pre-season friendly against Roma on August 6 and did not feature in the preparation games against Marseille and Villarreal.
However, Rogers has been involved in training this week and confidence is growing that he will be ready for the clash with Eddie Howe’s team at Villa Park.
Rogers, 23, was one of the breakout stars of the last Premier League campaign and was linked to Chelsea this summer.
