REVEALED: Newcastle prepared to part ways with Papiss Cisse based on Religious grounds

Newcastle United may end up selling £8million striker Papiss Cisse to avert the crisis that is threatening to derail their sponsorship deal with money lenders Wonga.

The St James’ Park club announced its deal with the company last October and are due to wear the Wonga name on their shirts for the first time next season.



Cisse informed the club several weeks ago that he does not want to wear the Wonga.com branding on Newcastle United’s shirts next season because of his beliefs as a Muslim. The Senegalese striker is a practicing Muslim and has protested to club officials on religious and ethical grounds about the pay-day loan company's deal.

Under Sharia law, Muslims must not benefit from either lending money or receiving money from another person - meaning that interest is prohibited. Interest is not paid on Islamic bank accounts or added to mortgages.However, the club are heartened that Cisse’s protest is an individual one, with none of the player’s Muslim team-mates, most notably Hatem Ben Arfa and Cheick Tiote, so far expressing objections.

Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias will wait until Cisse returns from national duty duty with Senegal so the pair can sit down to discuss the delicate issue.



One option would be to allow Cisse to wear an unbranded top during matches, as striker Frederic Kanoute did with Sevilla when they were sponsored by the gambling website 888.com.



But Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is concerned the lucrative four-year deal would be cheapened by his star striker blanking out the sponsor’s name and, if no compromise can be reached, Cisse would move on, with wealthy Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala already willing to double Newcastle’s money by snapping up the 28-year-old.

Newcastle have no plans to follow the lead of Bolton Wanderers, who last week pulled out of a similar sponsorship deal with QuickQuid, and cancel their deal.