Newcastle Transfer News: Papiss Cisse Wonga Dispute Resolved
BBC, and the striker has agreed to wear the Wonga logo on the club's kit despite his strict Muslim beliefs. Wonga, the controversial short-term money lending company, have agreed to sponsor the North East club and the deal, worth an estimated £8 million-a-year to the Magpies, will start from the beginning of the 2012/13 season. Initially Cisse, who is a practicing Muslim, refused to wear the company's logo and did not travel with the squad for their pre-season tour of Portugal. However, after a week of talks, both parties have reached a resolution and Cisse is now available to play for Newcastle again. The 28-year-old is expected to return to training with the first team squad today, having spent the past week preparing for the new season on his own with the rest of the team abroad. Cisse is one of a number of Muslims at Newcastle but was the only one to express his reluctance at wearing the Wonga logo on the club's shirt. The Senegalese star had his own principles questioned recently however when he was spotted in a casino earlier this week and accused of "letting Muslims down". Under Sharia Law, Muslims must not benefit from either lending or receiving money from another person.