LONDON (AP) — The Football Association expressed concern Friday that the ruling against Manchester City for large-scale financial wrongdoing affects the “integrity” of soccer and said it was assessing the verdict.
City was found by an independent panel to have artificially inflated revenue by more than $1 billion over nearly a decade, using what the Premier League describes as “sham” sponsorship agreements established by the club’s ownership.
The panel found City guilty of all the charges of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations from 2009-18, and the majority of other charges for not cooperating with the investigation.
The FA, the governing body of English soccer, has given its first reaction to the biggest disciplinary case in Premier League history, saying: “The independent commission’s decision has significant implications for the integrity of the game.
“We are carefully considering the decision and its implications and will take action where appropriate.”
The FA added that it would “continue to monitor developments closely” and would not comment further because proceedings were ongoing.
City has promised to lodge an appeal following the ruling that was published on Tuesday. The deadline for the appeal is Friday.
City’s punishment will be addressed in a separate, confidential hearing with the independent commission. Potential sanctions range from a fine, a points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League.
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
FILE - The club logo decorates a corner flag before the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)
FILE - A general view of the stadium ahead of the FA Cup third round soccer match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad stadium, Manchester, England, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell, File)
FILE - A exterior shot of the stadium before the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Wednesday, June 17, 2020. (Peter Powell/Pool via AP, File)
MADRID (AP) — Spain’s government looks set to lose two key votes it needs to ratify a package of emergency measures aimed at tackling the nation’s housing affordability crisis when Parliament convenes on Friday amid continued protests demanding that lawmakers act to help renters.
The Catalan separatist party Junts — essential for the approval of the two government decrees — said in a statement Friday morning that it will vote against them.
The measures were intended to quell a public uproar following the televised eviction of an 87-year-old woman last week in Madrid that sparked protests and a camp-in that has occupied Madrid’s most important square ever since. Barring a surprise, the progressive coalition of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will suffer a costly legislative defeat that will likely fan the flames of the protests.
The elderly woman whose eviction sparked the protests, Maricarmen Abascal, has become a symbol for the fight for lower housing costs in the southern European country where many people are priced out of buying a home and are being squeezed by a small rental market.
The company that evicted her finally caved under immense public and political pressure this week and said that she can return to the apartment. Abascal is currently in a hospital since being removed from her home on a stretcher, but her lawyer said she is happy to know she will be going home.
Spain's 350-seat Parliament will start its session at 11 a.m.
The first decree is meant to stop evictions of vulnerable people like Abascal, make real estate speculation harder, impose tighter restrictions on short-term leases and provide tax incentives to encourage renting and the construction of housing.
The second decree is more controversial. It proposes to make leases automatically renew when they are set to expire, essentially making them indefinite. A property owner would have to pay a tenant 12 months of rent to break the contract.
Maricarmen, 87, waits at home for police to arrive before being evicted from the home where she lived in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (Fernando Sánchez/Europa Press via AP)
People gather during a protest following the eviction last Wednesday of 87-year-old Maricarmen to demand stronger laws to protect renters at Puerta del Sol in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
