Five kit controversies! Cisse, Man United, RVP, Ozil, Cruyff and more sponsorship showdowns

Papiss Cisse's Newcastle United career is in the balance after the striker was left out of the club's pre-season tour for refusing to wear Wonga-branded training kit.

The Sengalese player has objected to payday loan company Wonga's sponsorship of Newcastle on religious and ethical grounds, but he is not the first footballer to find trouble with his kit.

Johan Cruyff earns his stripes
One of the greatest players in football history, Johan Cruyff, was ahead of his time both on the pitch and off it. While he was leading the great Ajax and Dutch Total Football teams of the early 1970s, Cruyff was also clever enough to commercialise his success with a Puma sponsorship deal. Trouble was, the Dutch national team's kit was manufactured by Puma's rivals Adidas and at the 1974 World Cup it featured the latter's trademark three stripes on the shoulders and sleeves. Such was Cruyff's power, however, that the Dutch FA allowed him to play with just two stripes on his kit, as he inspired Holland to the final, where they were narrowly defeated by hosts West Germany.

Mesut Ozil gives Nike the boot
Like Cruyff, Real Madrid star Mesut Ozil removed the three stripes from his kit, but unlike the Dutch legend, the German actually wanted to wear Adidas. After his boot contract with Nike ran out in July 2012, Ozil took to wearing Adidas Predator LZ boots with the stripes removed, having previously endorsed Nike's Vapor series. However, the American firm took umbrage with Ozil wearing their rival's boots, due to a clause in his contract that meant Nike could match any offer from Adidas, should they so wish. A judge ruled in 2012 that Ozil could not wear Adidas boots, but he recently managed to release himself from Nike's clutches to sign with the German firm.

Robin van Persie: 'das boot
Another member of the Adidas stable, Robin van Persie has been more than happy wearing the three stripes. Only trouble is, he wanted to wear an old pair. RVP grew so attached to the Adipower boot, that he was still wearing them two years after their release, during Man United's 2012/13 title win, by which time they had been superseded by the Adidas LZ. Indeed, Van Persie wore the LZ at Euro 2012, but reverted to his old Adipower boots when he signed for Man United.

Freddie Kanoute: all bets are off
Similar to Cisse, former Tottenham and West Ham striker Freddie Kanoute ran into trouble at at Spanish club Sevilla in 2007 when his club secured a shirt sponsorship deal with a betting company. With gambling forbidden by Islam, Muslim Kanoute initially covered the logo on his shirt, but later relented, although he stopped short of doing any promotional activities for 888.com.

A grey day for Manchester United
In spring 1996, Manchester United were humbled 3-1 by Southampton at the south coast club's old Dell ground, as their hopes of clinching the Premier League title took a blow. The Red Devils were 3-0 at half-time and Alex Ferguson was not happy. "Get that kit off, you're getting changed!" ordered the Scotsman, according to United player Lee Sharpe. Ferguson felt that the grey shirts, which United were wearing for the fifth time, having lost three and drawn one of their previous four outings in the kit, was making it difficult for his players to see each other. "We couldn't really blame anything or anyone but ourselves," confessed Sharpe. "Having said that, it was a bit tricky to see players." The shirt was never worn by United again, and they went on to lift the title, although they were thumped 6-3 by Saints later that year in a different kit.

BONUS

Benoit Assou-Ekotto: no big deal
Tottenham defender Assou-Ekotto hasn't run into conflict with any personal sponsor... because he doesn't have one. In an unusual move for a modern Premier League player, Assou-Ekotto has eschewed any boot deal and simply buys his own footwear. When one of his boots split in training, he merely replaced it himself, leaving him with an 'odd' pair. “I'm happy to not have a sponsor because I'd rather be free to do what I want,” he says.