LONDON (AP) — Leeds defender Junior Firpo has been suspended for three games for allegedly headbutting a Millwall opponent in an off-the-ball incident during a midweek game in England's second-tier Championship.
The English Football Association said Saturday that the ban was imposed because Firpo's actions constituted “violent conduct.” He had denied the allegation.
The alleged headbutt was in the 95th minute of Wednesday's game with Leeds trailing 1-0. After a shot goes out of play, Firpo appears to strike Millwall defender Danny McNamara.
“The defender’s behavior around the 95th minute wasn’t seen by the match officials, but was caught on video, and the FA alleged that it constitutes violent conduct,” the governing body said in a statement. “Junior Firpo denied the charge against him, but an independent regulatory commission subsequently found it to be proven and imposed this suspension.”
The Dominican Republic international will begin serving his suspension Saturday, when third-place Leeds hosts Queens Park Rangers.
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FILE - Leeds United's Junior Firpo during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Leeds United at the Stamford Bridge stadium in London on March 4, 2023. (AP Photo/David Cliff, File)
MADRID (AP) — At least 10 people died and others were injured in a blaze at a nursing home near Zaragoza, Spain, before firefighters managed to extinguish the flames, local authorities said Friday.
The alarm was raised around 5 a.m. on Friday in Villafranca de Ebro, about 28 kilometers (18 miles) from the northeastern city. Two people remained in critical condition, officials said.
The cause of the fire was not yet known.
Local media said 82 people had been living in the nursing home, which focused on treating people with dementia and mental health issues.
Jorge Azcón, head of the regional government of Aragon, which includes Villafranca de Ebro, told reporters outside the nursing home that an investigation would be opened into the cause of the fire.
For now, the priority was to transfer the remaining uninjured residents to other facilities, he said, including one in the city of Huesca, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) away.
Volga Ramírez, mayor of Villafranca de Ebro, told reporters that intense smoke from the blaze was likely responsible for the deaths.
“It is due to smoke inhalation,” Ramírez said, “not because they were burned.” She said that the remaining residents of the center had been safely evacuated.
Zaragoza fire chief Eduardo Sánchez told reporters that firefighters had extinguished a blaze in one room of the center.
On X, formerly Twitter, Azcón announced that all government events in the Aragon region were cancelled for the day.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on X wrote that he was “shocked at the tragedy" and expressed condolences to the victims.
The fire took place just weeks after devastating flash floods in the Spanish region of Valencia killed more than 200 people and destroyed thousands of homes. The floods were the worst natural disaster in Spain's recent history.
Relatives wait for news outside the nursing home where least 10 people have died in a fire in Zaragoza, Spain, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Ferran Mallol )
Relatives waiting for news outside the nursing home where least 10 people have died in a fire in Zaragoza, Spain, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Ferran Mallol )
