1. This Situation Is Not An Anomaly
This is not the first time that a player has refused to wear a team sponsor on their chest. And it doesn't have to end ugly. Case in point, Frédéric Kanouté. Just a few years ago, Kanouté, who plies his trade in China these days, played for a high-flying Sevilla team that played in the Europa Cup (then the UEFA Cup) and the Champions League. Kanouté felt that the club sponsor went against his religious beliefs and did not want to wear the branded shirt. Therefore, club and player came together and came up with a solution. While it may not have been 100% ideal for either the club or the sponsor, it worked. They hammered out a deal. Kanouté would wear an un-branded shirt. From what is being reported, it seems that Papiss has proposed a similar solution, and an alternative one - to wear the logo of a charity. I'd like to believe that a club that's willing to build a muslim prayer room on their grounds is also willing to back a player for those same religious beliefs. Newcastle is a proud club with a proud history. A club who supports their players well, particularly those who are of great character. Is Papiss Cisse a world-class striker? Perhaps not. Perhaps he one day will be. But first class? Absolutely. Cisse has been nothing but a class act in his time at Newcastle. Perhaps this whole thing is just media sensationalism since Newcastle have no new transfers coming in and therefore nothing else to talk about and people are grasping at straws to pump out new NUFC material. Perhaps there are other factors that we as bystanders are not privy to. Whatever the reason, it's time the club do what's right and take care of this situation. He is a vital component to our success this year, and we can't afford to not have him playing.