Roshan Nayak

Are Olise and Upamecano Muslim? Here’s the Truth Behind Their Finger-Point Celebration

Bayern Munich, Dayot Upamecano, Football Celebrations, Michael Olise

Bayern saw off yet another enthralling victory against Freiburg on Saturday, beating them 6-2 at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

They are still yet to lose a game this season, having won 17 games and drawing 1 in all competitions.

Frenchman, Michael Olise was the star of the game on Saturday as he scored a brace and also topped off his performance with 3 assists in the game as well.

One of those assists came from a corner in the 55th minute, which was netted in the back of the net by his own compatriot in Dayot Upamecano.

Following that goal, both the Frenchmen were seen celebrating together, pointing their index fingers towards the sky.

The celebration led some fans to believe that the French duo might be muslim, which is a logical conclusion as pointing the index finger to the sky is a gesture in Islam that symbolizes Tawhid (the oneness of God), the Shahada (declaration of faith), and making supplication (Dua).

Another reason why the normal public could have thought of the duo as muslim is because of the abundance of black French muslim players prevalent in top level football.

But the reality about Upamecano and Olise being muslim cannot be further from truth.

Born in the small town of Evreux in the Normandy region of France, Upamecano’s family roots trace back to Guinea-Bissau, which is a country with a significant Muslim population but it is believed that Upamecano is Christian and follows Christianity.

Upamecano can also be seen doing the “Sign of the Cross” below:

While whereabouts regarding Upamecano’s father are not publicly available, his mother is Senegalese and his family comes from the island of Jeta in Guinea-Bissau.

The names of his parents are also not available publicly, either.

With this, Upamecano is also eligible to represent Guinea-Bissau and Sengal.

In Olise’s case, his Nigerian-French heritage led to similar assumptions about him following Islam but he has never publicly spoken or opened up about his religious beliefs or religion in front of the media.

He is also not seen doing any religious customs in the video above.

Although born in England, Olise’s Nigerian connection comes from his father, Vincent Olise and his French connection comes from his mother whose name has not yet been publicly disclosed.

His mother is of a French-Algerian heritage.

As a result of this, Olise is also eligible to represent three nations with them being — England, Algeria and Nigeria.

In the end, the celebration seemed to be nothing more than two teammates having fun together.

But in today’s sports environment, where every little thing is blown out of proportion, even a simple hug may start rumours around the world.

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