Newcastle United 2013/14 Kits Revealed?
The new home, away and alternate Newcastle United shirts for the 2013/14 season have been revealed, according to NUFC.com. The three shirts, currently lacking new sponsors Wonga's logo, have been doing the rounds this morning though it has yet to be confirmed whether any or all of these are the final chosen designs. At present, the Newcastle home shirt is scheduled for a mid-August launch, with the third kit one month later. The away kit has been penciled in for release on Thursday, May 16th. The 2013/14 shirt will be the first to bear the image of Wonga, with the loan company tying up a sponsorship deal with the North East club last October in a four-year deal to replace former sponsors Virgin Money. The new sponsorship immediately triggered controversy at the time, and may cause problems for several of the clubs Muslim stars. Under Sharia Law, Muslims must not benefit from either lending or receiving money from another person, meaning that interest is prohibited. Interest is not paid on Islamic bank accounts or added to mortgages. Papiss Cisse, Cheick Tiote and Hatem Ben Arfa are all practising Muslims, and could refuse to wear the clubs new sponsor on the new shirt. Former Tottenham and West Ham striker Freddie Kanoute once refused to wear the logo of gambling website 888.com on his Seville shirt over his religious beliefs. Wonga have also gained a bad reputation in recent times, and debt is prevalent in the Newcastle area. Should a Newcastle fan accept a loan from the company to buy a £50 club shirt, they would have to repay £71.92 after a month with a rate equivalent to 4,212 per cent per year. What do you think of the new shirts? How do you feel about the new sponsor? Share your thoughts in the comment section, below.