Goalkeeper ‘forced to fake injury’ to let Muslim team-mates break Ramadan fast after clubs refused to follow the Premier League’s lead
A goalkeeper in France’s top football league has been revealed to have faked an injury to allow his Muslim teammates to break their Ramadan fast; such breaks were banned by football bosses.
Midway through Nantes’ 2-0 win over Ligue 1 rivals Le Havre on Sunday, centre-back Anthony Lopes went down unchallenged after a throw-in near the midfield line.
Outfield players are required to leave the field if they sustain an injury requiring medical attention for play to continue, but this rule does not apply to goalkeepers; So while Lopes received treatment from club doctors for an apparent hamstring injury, his five teammates made their way to the touchline.
They were later seen taking food and water to break their fast.
In France, where the burqa is banned and religious rules are strict, football lawmakers did not allow the game to be interrupted on religious grounds.
Former Portugal international Lopes was seen slowly getting back to his feet after being attended to in order to give his teammates some more time to recover before play resumed.
The win was crucial for Nantes’ bid to remain at the top of France, sitting 17th in the 18-team standings. They have the same points as 16th-placed Auxerre but are in the relegation zone due to a two-goal weaker goal difference. The last two teams will be relegated.
Anthony Lopes reportedly faked an injury in Sunday’s 2-0 Ligue 1 win over Le Harve so his Nantes team-mates could break their Ramadan fast.
In 2021, an agreement came into force allowing Muslim players to break their Ramadan fast after sunset in Premier League matches.
A year later, the same approach was adopted by the Bundesliga.
Football clubs are also changing their training programs to accommodate Muslim stars celebrating Ramadan. Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp did just that during his successful tenure at Anfield.
‘It is not easy because it is not easy to play, train and complete Ramadan,’ he said beIN SPORTS.
‘But we tried to talk to the captain before Ramadan’ [Henderson] To tell the boss that maybe we can change the schedule and go to training in the morning.
‘It’s easier for us. If you train in the morning, you will have time to rest and go home. If you train around two or three times, it will be tough!
‘Coach said yes and I think it makes things easier and we’re just trying to do our best.’
Asked how Liverpool stars manage to fast on match days, Mane added: ‘It’s not easy but as always match day is something else!
‘Things are difficult with Ramadan coming, but I think Liverpool are trying to make things easier for us.
‘We have been speaking to Mona, our nutritionist, and she has made everything easier for us, especially so we can have our Ramadan before match day.’
Ramadan started on February 17 and will continue until March 19. Since the sacrament follows the lunar cycle, it needs to be confirmed every year; The holiday officially begins with the sighting of the crescent moon on the evening of February 17.
One of the five pillars of Islam is that Muslims fast during the daytime during Ramadan to show their devotion to their religion.
