Under the guise of French secularism and the separation of church and state (1905), the French Football Federation have banned muslim players observing fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, from pausing during the game for a date and a sip of water.
It was reported that a leaked email was sent to referees, stating that the FFF have placed a ban on officials stopping games to allow players to consume food and water at the side of the pitch.
The federation cited the principal of “football neutrality at the places of practice” as the reason.
The move by the French body has received much backlash and starkly contrasts the decision by the Premier League, who have instructed referees to pause matches to allow players to consume food and drink.
Respectfully, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fans have denounced the French Football Federation (FFF) for refusing to pause evening matches during the holy month of Ramadan.
“A date, a glass of water, the nightmare of the FFF,” a banner of Collectif Ultras Paris, a PSG fan group sitting behind the goal at the Parc des Princes, said in criticism of the federation’s decision.
We see how France have continually discriminated against muslim players this year during the Holy month of Ramadan. Sadly, Jaouen Hadjam, a 20-year-old Nantes defender, was removed from the match squad by the senior team’s head coach, Antoine Kombouare, for fasting on match days during Ramadan.
On the absence of Algerian-French player Hadjam, Kombouare said that players “should not fast” to be match fit and to avoid getting hurt during games.
“And those who fast are not in the group,” he said as he did not select Hadjam for the Reims match.
On Sunday, Nantes without Hadjam suffered a 3-0 home loss to Reims in a French Ligue 1 match at Stade De La Beaujoire.
Dreadful discrimination against muslim Football players has been seen yet again but in a turn of events, so was the humiliation endured by Kombouare- following his nonsensical decision to cut star muslim player, Hadjam.
Contrary to the statements of Kombouare, we have seen in all spheres of sport, how fasting has never hindered sportsmen but has in fact only enhanced their performance.
