Newcastle and Papiss Cisse reach compromise on Wonga shirt after Toon call in Imam to negotiate peace deal
Newcastle and Papiss Cisse reach compromise on Wonga shirt after Toon call in Imam to negotiate peace deal
Deal brokered between Senegalese striker and Newcastle that will see
28-year-old wear shirt featuring controversial money-lending firm
Compromise: Papiss Cisse and Newcastle have reached a truce
Matthew Lewis
Papiss Cisse called a truce in his battle with Newcastle yesterday after the club called in an Imam to talk through his
religious objections to wearing the Wonga logo.
The Senegalese striker has struck a compromise deal with the club
after seeking spiritual guidance from leaders in his Muslim faith.
Cisse will now resume full training with Alan Pardew's squad
, and will wear the name of
the controversial money lender next season.
He had been left behind for their week long pre-season training camp
in Portugal which ended on Wednesday, because of the dispute.
The 28-year-old was also offered religious counselling by Newcastle
to work out how it was possible for him to square his "religious and
ethical" objections to Wonga's 5,853 per cent payday loan interest
rates, and continue his work for the club. Cisse's
objections to Wonga were first revealed by MirrorSport in June
, and became a practical issue when he returned to pre-season training two weeks ago.
Newcastle's contract with Wonga states players must wear the logo on
kit during training, matches and even while travelling to games.
Cisse won praise for making his protests, with a campaign growing
against Wonga and 200 other "payday" loan firms. It is claimed they
target the poorest in society with short term loans at huge interest
rates, leaving many in greater financial trouble.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said yesterday that the Church of
England would seek to drive Wonga and its rivals out of business by setting up competing credit unions in churches. Unwelcome interest: Papiss Cisse wil wear the Wonga sponsored shirt
Paul Thomas / Getty
Cisse's climb-down does not mean he is supportive of Wonga and their business, only that he
is now happy to fulfil his duties to the club who pay his £40,000 a week wages.
He will get on with being Pardew's lead striker with his protest made
and the issue of Wonga high on the political agenda, including with the
Geordie fans who they were hoping to target.
Newcastle are making around £8 million a year with their Wonga sponsorship.
The
club and the firm - anxious to be rebranded as a "digital finance
company" - refused Cisse's request to wear an unbranded shirt , or to
donate his No9 shirt front to a charity - also revealed by MirrorSport
-
during extensive talks over the last two weeks.
Cisse's stance attracted criticism from some fans arguing he promoted
a money lender when wearing the Virgin Money logo last season.
A new photo of Cisse at gaming tables emerged yesterday, this time
believed to have been taken at Newcastle's Grosvenor casino in March,
leaving him open to suggestions he was picking and choosing which parts
of Islam to follow.
Some
suspected one motive was to renegotiate his contract of force a big
money move to Russian giants Anzhi Makhachkala, who are interested in
his signature.
But Cisse and his representatives have always insisted
he was happy at Newcastle and honoured to wear the famous No9 shirt, and
the PFA and employment lawyers have all been involved in the talks
aimed at keeping him on Tyneside.
Newcastle have yet to release a statement on the matter, treading
carefully around the legal issues surrounding the case, towards Cisse
and Wonga, but that could come today. Alan Pardew will be relieved to has resolved the issue
Ian Horrocks
Resolution is a massive relief for boss Pardew who is short of strikers.
Last
week owner Mike Ashley was said to be losing patience with Cisse,
putting his future in doubt, and that warning has refocused minds to
resolve the situation.
It is understood experienced football operators behind the scenes at
St James's Park brokered the truce, and not Director of Football Joe
Kinnear.
He is dealing with transfers and Lyon have confirmed Newcastle's interest in Bafetimbi Gomis, although a fee has yet to be agreed.
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