In what could be the future of football gaming, Manchester City have joined forces with EA Sports FC 26 to launch a new fourth kit that comes embedded with a special interactive chip that will allow fans to literally tap into a whole raft of digital unlockables.

The dark forest green jersey is covered in triangular graphics in light green and turquoise, and a closer look at the metallic club crest reveals the design’s hidden hi-tech secret.

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Embedded in the centre of the City badge is a hidden NFC (Near Field Communication) chip which, when tapped with a smartphone, enables short-range wireless communication between the two bits of tech. As such, fans can use it to unlock exclusive digital EA Sports FC 26 in-game content, including the kit itself.

There will also be additional custom items and exclusive loan player picks for City among other rewards from the club and kit manufacturer Puma.

As well as appearing in all modes of the EA Sports FC 26 game (i.e, in Kick Off, Career, Club and FIFA Ultimate Team mode) the kit will also be worn by City in the real world, with the men’s team set to take to the pitch against Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League while wearing it later this month. Manchester City‘s women’s team will also be sporting it during Women’s Super League fixtures this campaign.

Having previously unveiled kits in EA Sports video games and even in the metaverse, City have once again proven that they are on the absolute cutting edge when it comes to drumming up ideas that any supporter over the age of 35 has zero hope of understanding.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala — The Florida Gators, the reigning National Champions, will start former five-star recruit Boogie Fland at point guard, coach Todd Golden said Wednesday at SEC Media Day ahead of the 2025-26 season.

The decision clears up uncertainty about the way Golden will use both Fland, who spent last season at Arkansas, and fellow transfer Xaivian Lee, an all-Ivy League point guard at Princeton in each of the last two seasons, as the Gators attempt to win back-to-back national titles for the second time in school history.

Despite Golden’s announcement, Lee will remain a key contributor and handle point guard duties when Fland is off the floor for a Florida squad ranked third in the Associated Press preseason top-25 poll.

“[Fland] is going to start at the point for us, but Xavian will be a second-side playmaker and then he’ll play point when [Fland] is out of the game,” Golden said. “And I think they’re both going to have really good seasons. They’ve really kind of come into their own over the last couple weeks. I feel like they’re getting really comfortable with the way we play, and obviously we throw to our big guys a lot and let them be the playmakers and the hubs in the middle of the floor.”

Last season, Golden relied on Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin – who were all drafted by NBA teams – to win the national title. Both Lee (5.5 APG last season) and Fland (5.1 APG last season) are both capable ballhandlers for a team with national title aspirations.

According to their teammates, however, Florida’s practices have featured both players as point guards, which has not adversely impacted the flow of the offense.

“Both of them can play point pretty easily,” said Florida star Alex Condon. “If I’m inbounding, I’ll pass it to either one of them. They can both bring the ball up the court super easily, and they’re really good facilitators. So yeah, I think it’s basically the same thing when they’re bringing the ball up the court.”

Fland got off to a spectacular start during his freshmen season with the Razorbacks, averaging 15.1 points, 5.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds over the first 18 games before suffering a hand injury against Florida in mid-January that forced him to miss the second half of the regular season and SEC conference tournament play. He managed to return during the NCAA tournament in a reserve role, playing an average of 17.7 minutes against Kansas State, St. John’s and Texas Tech before the Razorbacks were eliminated.

Fland considered turning pro before withdrawing from NBA draft consideration in mid-May. He officially transferred to Florida a week later.

Lee averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists last season at Princeton, while shooting over 36% from 3-point range. He announced his move to the Gators in mid-April.

The University of Kansas was fined $25,000 by the Big 12 after it found head football coach Lance Leipold made “an inaccurate statement” about a pocket knife that was found on its sideline during a recent game.

Leipold said a pocket knife “was thrown and hit one of our staff members” during the Jayhawks’ 42-17 loss to Texas Tech on Saturday. Texas Tech officials confirmed a pocket knife was found on the Jayhawks’ sideline and were investigating game-day video. The Big 12 did not clarify which part of Leipold’s statement was inaccurate.

However, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported that Texas Tech’s review, which was sent to the Big 12, said the “best possible video available to us” showed a Kansas “student athlete” pick up the knife and immediately hand it to a Kansas staff member.

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“We believe this video makes it clear where the pocket knife originated, which will disprove all claims that it may have been thrown from the stands, and certainly makes it clear that it did not hit any member of KU’s staff on the sideline. There also did not appear to be any reaction by anyone on KU’s sideline of it being thrown on to the field prior to it being picked up,” the review reportedly said.

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said Leipold’s comments “questioned the integrity and professionalism of both the Conference and a member institution.”

“I appreciate the Big 12 Conference’s thorough review of events that took place during our game last Saturday at Texas Tech. I accept their findings and ultimate ruling,” Leipold said in a statement. “I had an emotional reaction in the aftermath of the game and acknowledge that I need to be better. We are excited to move forward and finish our season strong.”

Texas Tech was also fined $25,000 for fans throwing items on the field, for which the team was penalized twice. The school had a longstanding tradition of throwing tortillas on the field, but officials voted 15-1 to ban the act before the season.

Texas Tech fans throw tortillas prior to a Big 12 Conference football game, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock. (Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

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“After a formal review, Texas Tech did not take sufficient steps to prevent and deter the repeated throwing of objects onto the field and team bench areas,” Yormark said in his statement.

“I mean, it’s supposed to be for safety and things like that, and it’s a culture that’s been accepted to a point, and it hasn’t changed. And eventually, somebody’s going to be seriously hurt, unfortunately,” Leipold said after the game.

Leipold was animated in his postgame handshake with Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire, calling the actions “bulls—.”

“Coach, I can’t do anything about that. You want me to do something f—ing about it?” McGuire asked.

Head coach Joey McGuire of the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Head Coach Lance Leipold of the Kansas Jayhawks talk at midfield after the game at Jones AT&T Stadium on Oct. 11, 2025 in Lubbock, Texas.   (John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

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The Red Raiders are ranked seventh in the AP poll and have a date at Arizona State this weekend to improve to 7-0.

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