In 2021, an agreement was put in place to allow Muslim players to break their fast during a Premier League match.
This first break took place in a game between Leicester City and Crystal Palace in April 2021. The match was paused at a goal-kick around the half-hour mark to allow Leicester’s Wesley Fofana and Palace’s Cheikhou Kouyate, external to replenish themselves with liquids and energy gels.
One of the five pillars of Islam is that during Ramadan, Muslims fast during daylight hours to show their devotion to their religion.
Muslim names in the Premier League include Mohamed Salah, William Saliba, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Amad Diallo among others.
“In the Premier League you are free to do whatever suits you. They will never do anything against your faith and this is great,” former Everton player Abdoulaye Doucoure told BBC Sport in 2023.
“I fast every day, I don’t miss any day. It has become normal and very easy for me. Training is still the same during Ramadan but when we go [for away matches], we might need to eat later than the others so the chef prepares food for us, making sure everything is in place as at home. We get halal food so there are no problems,” Doucoure added.
And in 2022, former Liverpool player Sadio Mane revealed the club altered their training schedules to support their Muslim players during the month of Ramadan.