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| The Sparks cross train in Baluarte in Vigan on Thursday night. FC Meralco Manila |
By Dugout Philippines
BANTAY--FC Meralco Manila wanted three points from Friday's road game against Ilocos United here.
They achieved that goal without kicking a single ball.
On Friday afternoon, the Philippines Football League announced on their website that Manila was awarded the match and the three points via forfeit, with the official score reading 3-0 to the visitors.
The league says Ilocos was unable to comply with some requirements of the PFL franchise agreement and were thus sanctioned.
The result gives Manila a total of 48 points in the table, enough to clinch a playoff berth in the four-team "finals series" with five regular season matches left. The fifth place side, JPV Marikina, is on 28 points, and with 6 games left can only muster 18 more points, good for a total of 46, short of Manila's current haul.
Even if the Sparks were to lose all their remaining games, neither JPV nor any of the three teams below them can leapfrog them anymore.
The Sparks went home to Manila on Friday afternoon.
Manila next plays Kaya Makati on October 28 in their bid to enter the playoffs as the top seed. The match will kick off at 7:00 pm in Rizal Memorial.
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