Newcastle United & Papiss Cisse Set for Wonga Showdown

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Muslim striker unhappy with being forced to wear pay-day lender’s logo.

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Newcastle United and Papis Cisse are set for showdown talks after player stood firm in his stance on the club’s sponsor according to The Mirror.

Cisse is unhappy at being told he must wear the logo of pay-day lenders Wonga on his chest as he believes the club go against his religious beliefs.

Cisse has made it clear to Newcastle officials that he is not comfortable wearing the logo but it is understood that Newcastle and Wonga are in no mood to make exceptions for the striker.

One solution that has been proposed is for Cisse to instead wear the logo of a charity instead. But it is not clear whether Premier League rules would allow for a player to wear a different logo to the rest of his team-mates.

Should he be found in violation of league rules, he may instead simply wear a shirt that contains no logo at all.

It remains to be seen how far Cisse is willing to go with the dispute should he be informed that legally he is required to wear the shirt.

The debate could have significant ramifications for Muslim players in the Premier League, with Cisse’s Muslim team-mates such as Hatem Ben Arfa, thought to be watching the outcome closely.


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