Jordan accuses Infantino of blackmail, and the number of the discontented rises to 91

The president of the Jordan Football Association, Prince Ali bin Hussein, has accused Gianni Infantino of blackmail. He claims that during the World Cup he was told that backing Infantino's fourth term would make FIFA more accommodating when Jordan needed help - over visas for fans who had bought tickets, over taxes on the training camp, over an unpaid prize after the Arab Cup final. Jordan is the first Asian federation to openly join the revolt; with UEFA and CONCACAF the number has reached 91 federations, while removing him from office requires 106. A plan to sell a stake in the competitions worth 3.1 billion pounds has already been cancelled after internal resistance. When the man at the top of world football has to count votes like a politician before an election, that is no longer sport - it is a party congress with a ball on the logo.

Newcastle swapped Howe for Jaissle, and is selling the squad before assembling it

Matthias Jaissle is Newcastle's new manager. The German is 38 and arrives from Saudi side Al-Ahli, where he won two consecutive Asian Champions League titles; before that he took two Austrian titles with Red Bull Salzburg. "When Newcastle turns up on your path, you stop and listen," Jaissle said. The problem is not the manager - the problem is what he is inheriting. Eddie Howe left after nearly five years and after the trophy the club had waited 70 years for. Gordon and Tonali are already gone from that squad, and captain Bruno Guimaraes is a step away from Arsenal. Jaissle heads straight to the camp in La Manga and opens the season against Liverpool immediately. A half-empty dressing room and full enthusiasm - a familiar combination.

Shkendija in Edinburgh tonight: "The atmosphere does not scare us"

The Tetovo side is in Scotland, where Hibernian await them in the third qualifying round of the Conference League. At the press conference, defender Fabrice Tamba and assistant coach Kushtrim Voka dismissed the idea that a full stadium would be a problem. "Last season we faced sides like Steaua and other big clubs. We approach challenges like this professionally," Voka said. Home manager David Gray, for his part, told his players that beating Shkendija means matching last year's level, when they knocked out Partizan - which is a bigger compliment than anything written in Tetovo tonight. Shkendija reached the group stage last year and knows where it is heading. Can it do it twice in a row? That is the question that gets an answer tonight.

Bashkimi signed ten footballers in one day, and nobody knows who they are

The Kumanovo club announced on its profiles that it had signed ten new names in a single day. These are not players the domestic public knows - but judging by the state of the club, any name that turns up is welcome. Shkendija Arachinovo, the top-flight debutant, is moving in the same direction, unveiling defender Esin Hakaj (29), a former Albania international, tonight. This is the season in which Macedonian clubs build squads at the end of the summer rather than the beginning. We know how that ends when the first round arrives faster than the first session together.

Salah welcomed in Trabzon like a saint, and Modric explained why he waited with Milan

Mohamed Salah's arrival in Turkey for talks with Trabzonspor drew 25,000 fans to the airport. Not a signed contract - just talks. Turkish football lost its middle registers long ago, and the transfer market there is experienced as a national holiday. On the other side of that emotion is Luka Modric, who told La Gazzetta dello Sport that he had been thinking about extending with Milan back in December, but wanted to listen to his own body first before signing. Two footballers, two understandings of the same trade: one travels inside a wave of 25,000 people, the other waits for his body to tell him whether there is another season in it. Which of the two approaches lasts longer?