Football: ban on breaks for players doing Ramadan is debated in France

Should Muslim players who do Ramadan be allowed to eat in the middle of a match? In France, the ban on interrupting matches for breaking the fast at nightfall animated this weekend a debate that does not exist, or little, in other European championships.

"A date, a glass of water, the nightmare of the FFF": the banner of the Collectif Ultras Paris, Sunday at the Parc des Princes, was scathing towards the French Football Federation, whose firm position on Ramadan contrasts with the more conciliatory attitude of neighboring countries.

"A date, a glass of water: the nightmare of the FFF"

Banner deployed by the Virage Auteuil.

📸 @psgcommunity_ pic.twitter.com/pHxypSEslE

— Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) April 2, 2023

The subject has invited itself in the news after the sending, Thursday to the referees, of a point of order. The interruptions of matches related to the breaking of the fast, in the evening, "do not respect the provisions of the statutes of the FFF", according to the French body.

"The idea is that there is a time for everything. A time to play sports, a time to practice one's religion," Eric Borghini, president of the Federal Commission of Referees, told AFP.

For this member of the executive committee of the FFF, it is simply "the scrupulous application of the first article of the statutes of the federation on the demanding respect of the principle of secularism in football".

"A big difference between France and England"

The football world has since reactivated the debate, old and regular, on what should be French secularism: the freedom to worship freely, or the primacy of common rules over religious beliefs.

"In 2023, we can stop a game 20 minutes for decisions, but not a minute to drink water," Lucas Digne, the French full-back of Aston Villa, sighed on social networks.

In England, breaks are tolerated to allow Muslim players to break the fast during the month of Ramadan, which began on March 22.

This has also been the case for the first time in recent days in the Dutch Championship, while in Germany, the head of referees at the Federation announced last year that he supported those who decided to grant this kind of break.

In Italy and Spain, no provision is planned but the debate has not been opened: the Moroccan Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina) took advantage of the entry of the keepers on the lawn to feed, Saturday night.

In the Premier League, the use of breaks has existed for two years, under the impetus of Frenchman Wesley Fofana and Senegalese Cheikhou Kouyaté, players of Leicester and Crystal Palace at the time, who took the time to eat in the middle of the match.

"I was born in France and worked there, but there is a big difference between France and England. The English are setting a good example," Everton Malian midfielder Abdoulaye Doucouré told the BBC.

Across the Channel, "we know that they are more open than us on the subject and it always has been. It would be nice for the France to do it but it does not worry anyone that they do not do it, "commented Friday Didier Digard, the coach of Nice.

A special follow-up

At the Aiglons, where many players do Ramadan, the only point of vigilance concerns the state of form of the players, possibly weakened by the period of fasting, according to the young technician.

"We support them as best we can. We have a high-quality performance division. They are monitored in terms of nutrition and hydration," Digard said.

At FC Rouen, first in its group in National 2 (the equivalent of the 4th division), ten players are concerned and the speech is the same.

"The players have been used to fasting for many years so it's not a problem for them," coach Maxime D'Ornano told AFP. On our side with the staff, the only difference is on the vigilance to have with the players concerned during this period so as not to go as far as exhaustion."

In Nantes, players of Muslim faith are exempted from communal meals and the second training session, on double-session days. "There is support, there is listening," says Antoine Kombouaré.

But "on match day, you shouldn't fast. There is a lot of intensity, you have to be ready. And those who fast are not in the group. I don't want them to get injured," said the Nantes coach to justify the non-call-up of Jaouen Hadjam, Sunday against Reims.

With AFP

The summary of the week France 24 invites you to look back on the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news with you everywhere! Download the France 24 app