Peruvian soccer team Deportivo Municipal has launched its unique new kit featuring 1,000 different sponsors. After losing its main kit sponsorship, the club decided to launch a new campaign which would redesign its jersey with a pixelated grid made up of a thousand small black-and-white squares, each of which had room to showcase an individual sponsor. Each square, available for a price of $60 (£44), represents an advertising spot for a small business located around Lima, and the club’s campaign turned its shirt into a crowdfunding platform. More from @Millar_Colin

The Mexican Football Federation has pledged its support to Gianni Infantino despite the fallout from FIFA’s failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. Concacaf, the confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean, had called for a “comprehensive reckoning” on Infantino’s presidency. More from @AliRampling ⬇️

Vinicius Junior has reached an agreement to renew his contract at Real Madrid with the Spanish club preparing to announce the forward’s new deal. Full story from @David_Ornstein and @MarioCortegana - free to read ⬇️

It's a loaded edition of our weekly MLS Verdict: 📋 The top priority wish list for whichever finalist is named MLS commissioner 💰 More details behind Lucas Herrington's lucrative move from Colorado to Hull City - and how Brisbane Roar cost itself millions along the way 🇵🇱 Robert Lewandowski breaks out in his home debut 🐐 Lionel Messi returns less than two weeks after the World Cup final @tombogert discusses all this - and more - from an action-packed MLS weekend ⤵️ 🔗

The English Football Association (FA) is set to write to Gianni Infantino to withdraw its support for him to be re-elected as FIFA president. This comes after the FA issued a statement on Saturday endorsing the view of UEFA that it had lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership after he attempted to sell a 21 per cent stake in FIFA’s commercial and event operations to Joshua Kushner’s investment fund for $4.2billion (£3.1bn). “It is time for a full and robust review of FIFA’s leadership and governance to ensure that the global game is run transparently, for the benefit of all 211 member nations and with the long term stewardship of football at its heart,” the FA’s statement read. More from @Dan_Sheldon_ and @megan_feringa 🔗

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill confirms Everton approach for Canadian international right-back Alistair Johnston 27 yo one of several options being considered for key position, and still awaiting firm bid @TheAthleticFC

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk is eligible to return to competitive action with immediate effect after a resolution was reached between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Football Association (FA) over an anti-doping violation. 🔗

The Eddie Howe era is over at St James' Park, but what should we expect from Newcastle United with Matthias Jaissle in charge? 🔎 A Howe-esque counter press 🔎 A bold mid-block 🔎 Expressive wingers pushing up the pitch 🔎 Defensive vulnerability out wide? @anantaajith on Newcastle United's prospective new head coach, and who might be the winners and losers from the current squad. 🔗

If Vinicius Junior joins Arsenal, it might prove to be one of the most exciting Premier League transfers of all time. But would Mikel Arteta have to adjust how his team press in order to accommodate the Brazil international?

During his time with Arsenal, Wojciech Szczesny was fined after being caught smoking. That led to the chant Barcelona fans began singing after immediately connecting with him. They shout ‘Szczesny fumador (the smoker)’. Barcelona have had two street parades to celebrate trophies since he joined the club. At the first one, he wore a straw hat bearing the words: ‘Fumador’ (smoker). At the second, he joined some fans in singing his chant. “I’ve never had my own chant before, so that’s already a surprising thing,” he says. “I enjoyed it. I try to be as authentic as I can, and people seem to appreciate it. “It might not seem the most professional thing in the world, but I am who I am. People know that I have one addiction that I cannot get rid of. “And I think even that feels authentic to them, because I would imagine that a lot of players have certain addictions, whether it’s nicotine or alcohol or gambling, I don’t know. But there’s one player who is quite open about it, and that’s me. And it’s an addiction that I’m not even willing to fight. I embrace it, and maybe it just feels authentic to people. “People don’t think I smoke because they saw a hidden photo of me from the paparazzi. I admitted to my addiction, and it’s an addiction that a lot of people in the world have. “People can probably relate to it. I don’t even think about recommending people to take up smoking. I think it’s a terrible thing and everybody should avoid it.” Read @Laia_Cervello’s full interview with Szczesny ⤵️ 🔗

Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio will stand trial in September over the alleged sharing of intimate footage involving a minor, despite both alleged victims withdrawing their complaints against him. Asencio is facing two charges — allegedly distributing the video without consent, and allegedly sharing a sex tape involving a minor. More from @Millar_Colin and @GuillermoRai_

Xabi Alonso’s arrival has been followed by the resolution of Chelsea’s punishments for historical financial irregularities. It is truly a fresh start for Chelsea both on and off the pitch this summer. 📝 @SJohnsonSport 🔗

#CFC# are fined again for rule breaches under Abramovich era - it’s the FA’s turn re. The 74 charges after UEFA and PL already hit them with financial penalty. Bill comes to £10m plus suspended transfer ban. More here from @Simon_Hughes__ and me:

Chelsea have been fined £10million ($13.4m) and given a suspended transfer ban following an investigation into 74 alleged breaches of the English Football Association’s regulations. The west London side were also initially hit with a suspended six-point deduction by an independent regulatory commission, which handed out the punishments, before this was overturned on appeal. More from @Simon_Hughes__ and @SJohnsonSport ⬇️ 🔗

Midfield is possibly the most intriguing area of the pitch for Arsenal coming into the new season. Mikel Arteta’s options are well known for the most part, but how he uses them could change compared to 2025-26. The first reason is the need to preserve those who were depended upon heavily en route to winning the title, namely Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi. The pair ranked first and second respectively for minutes played at Arsenal last season. Looking at the distribution of minutes played in midfield, Arteta can afford to share that game time out more equally across his group of midfielders. For example, the majority of Myles Lewis-Skelly’s 461 minutes in midfield only came in May, and those performances suggest he should feature more prominently in those areas in the campaign ahead. Arteta’s use of Ethan Nwaneri in the coming weeks will also be interesting, given the staggered return of Arsenal’s World Cup midfield representatives. But is there anything they need to adjust? @ArtdeRoche analyses Mikel Arteta's considerations ahead of the 2026-27 season. 🔗

Bournemouth are working on a deal worth around €30million (£25.6m; $34.5m) to sign Benfica centre-back Antonio Silva. Silva will bring European pedigree to Bournemouth - the defender has made 29 Champions League appearances and six Europa League appearances. More from @JamesHorncastle and @MarioCortegana 🔗

Newcastle United are close to completing the signing of Braga goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek. Newcastle are in the process of negotiating the payment terms with the Portuguese club and a deal for the goalkeeper is advancing towards a conclusion. The signing of a new goalkeeper has been a priority for Newcastle this summer, with a successor to Nick Pope desired. More from @David_Ornstein 🔗

'My Game In My Words' with Marco Reus. On the freedom of moving to LA Galaxy, taking risks, his free-kick technique, why he loves Pierre Emerick Aubameyang & lots more. “You have to understand that if you’re not creating & not trying, you'll fail anyway”