Imam Abu Eesa interviews Freddie Kanoute, Professional Footballer, Seville/Mali

Brother Freddie Kanoute is a French-born Malian footballer who currently plays for Sevilla FC in the Spanish La Liga, and is known for his pace, strength, and technique. Born in Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, Rhône, Kanouté's talents as a striker were first noticed by his local team, Olympique Lyonnais, and he joined them as an apprentice in 1997. He made his debut in the Intertoto Cup against Polish side Odra Wodzisław. In 2000, Kanouté was signed by English Premier League side West Ham United on an initial loan basis. He formed a solid partnership with Paolo Di Canio and after some promising appearances in the Premier League, Hammers manager Harry Redknapp made his move permanent. Kanouté had varying success at The Boleyn Ground, often praised for his ability, but also criticised for his laid back attitude. Despite scoring some crucial goals in West Ham's run in at the end of the 2002--03 season , including the winner in a 1-0 victory against Manchester City Manchester City at Maine Road, he could not help prevent West Ham getting relegated at the end of the season. Kanouté has been practicing Islam since he was around the age of 22. He refused to wear a Sevilla shirt bearing the name of club sponsor 888.com, due to the fact the website is used for gambling, which is against the principles of Islam; this meant that the club had to give him a brand-free jersey every match. The company, however, agreed to excuse him from their publicity campaigns in return for Kanouté wearing the sponsored kit, which was part of the players' contractual duties. In 2007, Kanouté paid more than $700,000 out of his pocket to buy a mosque in Seville. The contract on the premises had expired and the mosque was due to be sold. The Islamic community of Spain confirmed it had requested Kanouté's aid after the mosque was put up for sale. The Topic: An Interview With Freddie Kanoute discusses about Muslim players in La Liga