PL Soccer Player Refuses to Wear Shirt on Religious Grounds

Papisse Cisse from Senegal, striker for English Premier League team Newcastle United has finally capitulated and agreed to wear the team’s shirt bearing the logo of sponsors, Wonga payday lenders.  Cisse and the team’s management have been at a standoff for several weeks after the player said that Wonga’s services went against his Muslim religious beliefs and he could therefore not wear the uniform.  His offers to wear an alternative shirt bearing a charity logo were turned down by Newcastle.

At the time Cisse’s agent Madou Diene said: “He feels it is immoral”.

Things took a turn when Cisse was photographed by a Newcastle fan gambling at a blackjack table at Newcastle Aspers Casino, with angry fans tweeting that gambling is also against Sharia law and therefore the player had no leg to stand on by claiming religious grounds for refusing to wear the shirt.

“Cisse was just placing small bets, £10 or £20 with £5 chips,” Newcastle fan Andrew McNally told the Daily Mail.

Lengthy negotiations between Newcastle management, religious leaders and Cisse himself finally saw the player agree today that the best thing to do would be to wear his team’s kit, especially since breaking a contract is another thing frowned upon under Islamic law.

It also didn’t help Cisse’s case that other Muslim members of his team, including Cheik Tiote, Hatem Ben Arfa and Moussa Sissoko had no problem bearing Wonga’s name on their shirt.

Newcastle United said that it was sensitive to Cisse’s levels of religious observance and had even provided him and his fellow Muslims with a special prayer room at their training camp.  However, the team was not prepared to make an exception about the sponsorship shirt.

Cisse will now resume training with Alan Pardew’s squad this weekend.