2024-03-21T19:59:47+00:00
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/ French news reports circulated that the technical staff of the French U-19 national team decided to exclude midfielder Mamadou Diawara due to his adherence to fasting while playing matches.
A report published by the Monte Carlo Radio website said: “Bernard Diomede, the France under-19 coach, excluded Lyon player Mamadou Diawara, who is of financial origins and adheres to the Islamic religion, from France’s list that is preparing to face both the Netherlands and Lithuania in the European Cup qualifiers, in response to… To the requests of the French Football Federation, which refuses the participation of fasting players with the national teams.
According to the report, Diawara paid the price for his adherence to fasting, by being excluded from the national team’s roster, before Thabebu Asumani was called up in his place. After the list included the name of the young Lyon player, only hours had passed since the start of the France national team camp for under 19 years, until Diawara was seen in action. He practices with his French team, Lyon, without knowing what happened.
The insistence of French players who convert to Islam and adhere to fasting during matches has often sparked controversy in football circles in France, in light of the strictness of the clubs and the federation regarding the phenomenon and its threat to those who are fasting with exclusion from the club or national team.
Last season, former Nantes coach Antoine Kombouare excluded Algerian Joan Hajjam after the latter refused to break his fast during Ramadan.
In the same year, 2023, the French Football Federation showed strange severity in calling on referees not to stop matches for a single minute, in order to break the players’ fast, as other football federations in Europe, including the English Football Association, do.
At that time, the French Federation issued a warning to the referees of the Premier League and other lower-level leagues not to stop matches in which there are Muslim players, even for a minute, in order to break the players’ fast by drinking water or some fruit.