Ramadan: English football to observe breaks during matches

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The Premier League and English Football League (EFL) will resume their Ramadan procedures this week, with matches pausing briefly to allow Muslim players to break their fast.

Ramadan, which lasts for a month, requires Muslims to abstain from food and drink from dawn until sunset. In the UK, sunset during this period ranges from about 17:00 to 19:00 GMT, meaning only Saturday’s 17:30 kick-off and Sunday’s 16:30 kick-off could see a pause in play.As in previous years, club captains and match officials will find a natural break in the game to allow Muslim players or officials to break their fast. Teams and officials will agree beforehand if a pause is required and set an approximate time for the stoppage.

Play will not stop during active sequences but will occur at the earliest convenient moment, such as a goal-kick, free-kick, or throw-in.

The first official pause for fasting players took place in April 2021 during a Premier League match between Leicester City and Crystal Palace. The game was stopped at a goal-kick around the half-hour mark to allow Leicester’s Wesley Fofana and Palace’s Cheikhou Kouyate to replenish themselves with liquids and energy gels.

One of the five pillars of Islam is fasting during daylight hours in Ramadan, which reflects devotion to the religion. Muslim players currently 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.