RIJEKA, Croatia (AP) — England coach Thomas Tuchel acknowledged Friday that Manchester City's financial scandal has become a “big topic” of conversation among his squad during the long international break.
Three players — Elliot Anderson, Marc Guehi and Nico O'Reilly — picked in Tuchel's initial squad play for City, which could be facing severe sanctions after being found guilty by an investigatory panel of more than 100 charges related to breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.
The verdict into the biggest disciplinary case in Premier League history dropped on Tuesday, hours before England's 2-0 win over the Czech Republic in Nations League qualifying.
England still has two more matches to play in the extended camp, starting against Croatia — a team containing City players Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic — in Rijeka on Saturday.
“We had some time off, and time between the matches — it is a big subject," Tuchel said of the City case. “But everyone speaks about it, there is no other voice needed to add to all this. I am glad to not be that voice. No one needs my half knowledge on the topic.”
Referring to the City contingent in the squad, Tuchel added: "Of course the Man City players talk about it and we talk with them, but only briefly.
"They are ready to go for tomorrow. It’s what they show on the pitch and what they show in camp. But, of course, it’s a big topic in camp.”
O’Reilly left the squad on Thursday because of an unspecified issue and has returned to City.
The City disciplinary case is ongoing, with the club yet to receive a punishment and announcing Friday it has lodged an appeal.
Potential sanctions for City could be a points deduction or, in the worst case, expulsion from the Premier League.
Asked about his stance on picking players for England from outside the Premier League, Tuchel said: “There is always a possibility. I think I would always try to pick the best team for the camp, for the occasion, for the tournament and I will never rule out that they don't play in the top flight in their country.”
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England's coach Thomas Tuchel stands before the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Czechia and England in Prague, Czechia, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
NEW YORK (AP) — Some relief is returning to the rattled U.S. bond market after the latest jobs report cooled worries that a potentially hot economy could make inflation worse. The resulting drop in bond yields early Friday helped stocks jump back toward their all-time high. The S&P 500 rallied 0.9%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 357 points, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.2%. All of Wall Street got a jolt after the government said employers added 29,000 jobs to their payrolls last month, fewer than expected and a slowdown from August. The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 5.20%.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
U.S. futures are climbing as oil prices ease and investors await the U.S. monthly jobs report due later in the day.
Futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average both rose 0.5% on Friday. Nasdaq futures gained 0.7%.
Oil prices declined as the U.S. pressures Europe to release diesel reserves. On Thursday Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a post on social media platform X that the U.S.'s European partners should make deliveries of existing commitments faster and make additional supplies immediately available.
“American farmers, truckers, and businesses should not be left carrying the burden of a global diesel shortage,” he wrote. “America is doing its part. We look to our allies to match their commitments with action.”
The push on Europe comes as the U.S. sent another aircraft carrier and more troops to the Middle East, and as President Donald Trump threatened more possible escalations against Iran.
The U.S. military is deploying thousands of troops aboard a group of ships, including a third aircraft carrier, to the Middle East, according to a U.S. official on Thursday, after Trump on Wednesday threatened to “blow them up” or make a deal, referring to Iran, in an exchange with reporters.
Brent crude, the international standard, lost 2.4% to below $100 a barrel, at $99.88, after advancing on Thursday. That’s still well above the approximately $72 per barrel level in late February before the war. Benchmark U.S. crude declined 3.7% to $89.47 a barrel.
Investors and traders are monitoring closely the U.S. monthly jobs report for September to be released on Friday, as the data could provide more insight into the likelihood of an October interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve, after the Fed raised rates in September for the first time in three years.
In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury was at around 5.22%, after it reached 5.34% on Thursday, the highest since 2002. It crossed the 5% mark last month, as inflationary pressure from the global energy shock driven by the Iran war and rising U.S. government debt pushed investors to demand higher returns.
The 5% level on the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield has been an “important psychological threshold” for investors, David Clewell, a portfolio manager at T. Rowe Price, said in commentary this week.
Factoring in the U.S.'s resilient economic growth, there is a “credible” likelihood that the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield can rise toward 5.5% to 6%, Clewell suggested. Ballooning bond yields have been putting downward pressure on stock markets, as higher borrowing costs can undercut stock returns.
In Europe, Britain’s FTSE 100 climbed 0.3%. France’s CAC 40 rose 0.6%, while Germany’s DAX was up 1.2%. That came a day after Europe’s benchmark stock indexes fell sharply as government bond yields shot up.
Asian markets were mostly lower. Markets in mainland China were closed for a holiday.
FILE - Signs mark the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway in New York's Financial District on Wednesday Dec.11, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
