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GIRONA, Spain — Girona's chief executive was hoping at the start of the season that his team could simply avoid relegation from Spanish soccer's top tier. Now Ignasi Mas-Bagà tells The Associated Press that he's as surprised as anyone to see the team from northeast Spain emerging as a title contender one-third of the way through the season. Girona's salary cap is the 13th biggest in the 20-team league though it benefits from the financial backing of Manchester City's Abu Dhabi ownership. That means Girona has access to players and knowledge from 12 partner clubs around the world. But it is winning without any superstars and Mas-Bagà says much of the credit goes to its coaching staff and sports director.
