What started out as a smokescreen had within it the seed of unwanted distraction.
Like nectar is to honey, the plot was quite predictable under the circumstances and when a picture of the protagonist leaked in the press, the hum of the drones was clearly heard.
On one hand, it seemed like the player was acting by his faith’s beliefs and who are we to judge, but on the other hand, Grosvenor casino is as synonymous with betting as the collar is to religion.
It is believed that Magpies striker Papiss Cisse, a £9 million capture from German outfit Frieburg in January 2012, did not approve of the new club’s kit which features an emblazoned ‘Wonga’ detail at the front — something that did not bode well with the player’s Muslim beliefs.
Wonga, a payday loan firm, signed an agreement with Newcastle worth £24 million for a period of four years.
The new shirt sponsorship deal takes after a similar sponsorship from Virgin Money last season, which Cisse comfortably donned.
Wonga’s interest rates of 5,853 per cent have been described as “preposterous” in the media by various religious factions.
Among which is the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who intimated that the Church of England would ensure the demise of present-day loan sharks by setting up rival credit unions.
Under Sharia law, Muslims must not benefit from lending money; interest is not paid on Islamic bank accounts or added to mortgages.
However, it appears now that the striker will resume club training with the rest of his teammates who returned from a pre-season friendly in Portugal.
This scenario, best described as a storm in a teacup, would not be the first.
You might recall Malian striker, Frederic Kanoute who plied his trade for Sevilla reaching an agreement with his club to wear an unbranded shirt while they were sponsored by 888.com, a gambling company.
The agreement between Newcastle and Cisse comes on the back of speculation linking the player to possible swap with money rich Anzhi Makhachkala.
For now, it remains to be seen whether Joe Kinnear, Newcastle’s newly appointed director of football will bring in some new faces to the club.
It is understood that a £6.5 million pound has been tabled for Lyon’s Bafetimbi Gomis and the club is also looking elsewhere to Aston Villa’s Darren Bent who seems to be out of favour at his present club.
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