Secular panic: no cool break for Muslim footballers during the month of Ramadan. Referees are banned from interrupting football matches to allow Muslim players to break their fast, the French Football Federation said in an email sent to officials on Thursday, as the English Premier League authorized the measure. “It has been brought to the attention of the Federation of match interruptions following the breaking of the Ramadan fast. These interruptions do not respect the provisions of the statutes of the FFF.explained the French body in this email sent Thursday to its referees, several media reported on Friday.
“The idea is that there is a time for everything. A time to play sports, a time to practice your religion”, justifies Éric Borghini, president of the Federal Commission of Referees at the FFF. According to him, the FFF was informed that “a number of amateur-level matches have been stopped to allow fasting players to hydrate” – And this, “without the regulations allowing it”he added, recalling “the scrupulous application of the first article of the statutes of the federation on the demanding respect for the principle of secularism in football”.
In England, an opposite decision was taken by the arbitration bodies: breaks will be made during Premier League matches to allow Muslim players to break the fast during the month of Ramadan, which began on March 22. “We are in a secular country, not in a Muslim country”reacted Didier Digard, the coach of Nice, questioned about it at a press conference on Friday. “We know England, we know that they are more open than us on the subject and it always has been. It would be nice if France did, but nobody cares if they don’t. Because we are not in a Muslim country. You have to accept the country you live in., he added. In Nice, many Muslim players celebrate Ramadan and, according to Digard, this poses no problem.
He also recalled that Nice would only play twice during the fasting period, this Sunday in Angers and April 16 in Brest, two matches scheduled at 3:00 p.m. The rest are “matches at 9:00 p.m., the fast will already be broken”underlined Digard, referring to the match against Paris SG and the two confrontations against Basel in the quarter-finals of the Europa League Conference. “We support them as best we can. We have a high quality performance division. They are monitored in terms of food and hydration. They do it (fasting, editor’s note) out of conviction and it makes things a lot easier.”, he said. Remember that, since 2014, Fifa has allowed a two-minute cooling break to be set up in the middle of each half so that players can hydrate in the event of hot weather.