MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The possibility Southampton could be removed from the Championship playoff final over spying allegations was raised on Thursday when fans were warned there may be changes to the game that decides who is promoted to the Premier League.
Southampton was charged by the English Football League last Friday with a breach of its regulations, accused of unauthorized filming of semifinal opponent Middlesbrough’s practice sessions.
The hearing into the allegations will be held on or before May 19, the league said on Thursday. It added it was still planning on staging the Wembley final as scheduled on May 23, but fans should be “aware that the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings may yet result in changes to the fixture.”
“The League recognises that this complex situation has caused concern and disruption for supporters, particularly those making travel arrangements, and will continue to provide as much clarity as possible,” it said.
Southampton went on to win its two-legged semifinal against Middlesbrough and is due to face Hull at Wembley.
The league's statement did not disclose what the potential changes would be and it did not mention possible punishments if Southampton was found guilty.
But the suggestion there could be an impact on the final raised the possibility that the south-coast club may be barred from taking part, or the match could be postponed.
“The EFL has a number of contingency plans should they be required, which also includes consideration of any appeal process, if required,” the league said.
It added that the commission would issue a decision as soon as possible.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Southampton's Welington, right, and Ryan Manning celebrate at the final whistle in the EFL Championship play off semifinal soccer game between Southampton and Middlesbrough, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in, Southampton, England. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is rising toward more records Thursday after Cisco Systems joined the parade of U.S. companies reporting fatter profits for the start of 2026 than analysts expected.
The S&P 500 added 0.9% to its all-time high set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 386 points, or 0.8%, and is on track to finish a day above the 50,000 level for the first time since the war with Iran began. The Nasdaq composite was 1% higher and adding to its own record, as of 11:45 a.m. Eastern time.
Cisco helped lead the market after jumping 15.5% in what could be its best day in nearly 15 years. The tech giant reported better profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected, and CEO Chuck Robbins said it saw “very strong, broad-based demand for our products.”
Big Tech behemoths in particular are pouring cash into artificial-intelligence technology, and Cisco gave a forecast for profit in the current quarter that easily topped analysts' expectations.
Such voracious demand for AI, and the big profits it's producing, have been major reasons the U.S. stock market has set records throughout this year. Cerebras Systems, an AI processor company, raised $5.55 billion after selling its stock in an initial public offering, and its shares are set to begin trading on the Nasdaq later in the day.
Corporate earnings reported so far this season have “reinforced that this is still an AI-led market, but one where the impact is broadening quickly,” according to Gargi Pal Chaudhuri, chief investment and portfolio strategist at BlackRock.
“What started with a handful of companies is now driving earnings growth across semiconductors, infrastructure, and even parts of the industrial economy,” she said.
Outside of AI, other stocks rallying after delivering better-than-expected profit reports included StubHub Holdings, up 18.2%, Viking Holdings, up 7% and Yeti Holdings, up 4.7%.
All three companies sell products that aren’t day-to-day essentials, such as concert tickets, river cruises and insulated water bottles. Strong results from them could be an indicator that customers are still willing to spend even though U.S. consumers have been telling surveys they're feeling discouraged about the economy.
Whether U.S. households will keep spending and support the economy is a big question because pressure has been rising on them due to high oil prices and inflation created by the Iran war. A report released Thursday said that shoppers overall spent less at U.S. retailers last month than economists expected. But the deceleration after factoring out gasoline and automobile sales wasn’t quite as bad as economists thought it would be.
A separate report, meanwhile, said more U.S. workers filed for unemployment benefits last week, which could be an indication of more layoffs. The number, though, remains relatively low compared with history.
Treasury yields flitted up and down in the bond market immediately after the reports, but they largely remained steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury edged down to 4.45% from 4.46% late Wednesday.
In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in Europe following a mixed finish in Asia. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1%, while South Korea's Kospi jumped 1.8% to another record thanks to gains for AI-related stocks.
Stocks were nearly flat in Hong Kong and down 1.5% in Shanghai as Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing.
Some investors hope Trump could encourage Xi to use China’s close economic ties with Iran to get it to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The strait’s closure because of the war has kept oil tankers pent up in the Persian Gulf instead of delivering crude to customers worldwide, which has driven up crude prices.
The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, fell 0.6% to $104.97 Thursday, but it remains well above its price of roughly $70 from before the war.
AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed to this report.
Trader Michael Capolino works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Trader Patrick Casey works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
A currency trader watches monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), right, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Currency traders work at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP)
Asia markets index of Japan, South Korea and Australia is seen on a screen at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
