The connections between top flight football and gambling are well known with many of England’s brightest talents keen on the odd hand of poker for big money.

However former West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspurs striker Frederic Kanoute is one footballer who won’t be turning up at a casino near you.

Last season the 30 year old French man controversially taped over the logo of the Sevilla club's shirt sponsors - internet gaming company 888.com - because he said his Islamic religion forbade the promotion of gambling.
 
As a result the club has come up with a brand free jersey especially for Kanoute.

Though born in Sainte-Foy-les- Lyon in France the prolific striker, who has netted 54 goals for Sevilla since joining in 2005, plays international football for Mali.

Showing his devotion to Islam Kanoute recently splashed out almost £400,000 to buy his own mosque in Spain.

The privately owned mosque was due to be sold after a contract to use the premises by the local Muslim population had expired.

But Kanoute, one of the finalists for the 2007 BBC African Footballer of the Year award, stepped in to purchase the building.

Most of Seville's Muslims who will benefit from Kanoute's gesture are immigrants from north and West Africa.
 
The Islamic Community of Spain confirmed that a last-minute appeal was made to Kanoute after the mosque had been put up for sale.

"The worshippers at Ponce De Leon are quite diverse but if it had not been for Kanoute then we would not have had a mosque on Fridays, which is the most holy day of the week for Muslims," a spokesman for the Islamic Community of Spain told the local paper Diario de Sevilla.

City authorities have confirmed that the property has been registered in Kanoute's name.

It is estimated that Kanoute has spent almost a year's salary to buy the mosque.

Kanoute is a devout Muslim, having made a public conversion 10 years ago before moving to England to play football.