A goalkeeper in France’s top football league appeared to fake an injury to allow his Muslim team-mates to break their Ramadan fast, with such intervals currently banned by football bosses.
Midway through Nantes’ 2-0 win over Ligue 1 rivals Le Havre on Sunday, shot-stopper Anthony Lopes fell to the ground, unchallenged, as the ball went out for a throw-in near the halfway line.
Outfield players are required to go off the pitch when they suffer an injury that requires medical attention so that the game can continue but this rule does not apply to goalkeepers, meaning that while Lopes received treatment from club doctors for an apparent hamstring injury, five of his team-mates made a beeline for the touchline.
They could then be seen taking on food and water to break their fast.
In France, where the burqa is banned and religious rules are strict, football lawmakers have not permitted breaks in play for religious reasons.
After being attended to, former Portugal international Lopes was seen getting back on to his feet slowly to allow his team-mates some more time to take on sustenance before play continued.
The victory was crucial to Nantes’ bid to stay in the French top-flight with the club 17th in the 18-team league. They are level on points with Auxerre who are 16th but are in the relegation zone due to a poorer goal difference by two goals. The bottom two teams will be relegated.
Anthony Lopes is reported to have faked an injury to allow his Nantes team-mates to break their Ramadan fast during their 2-0 win over Le Harve in Ligue 1 on Sunday
In 2021, an agreement was put in place to allow Muslim players to break their Ramadan fast during Premier League matches, once the sun has set.
A year later the same approach was adopted by the Bundesliga.
Football clubs are also altering their training schedules to accommodate for Muslim stars who are observing Ramadan. Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp did so during his successful tenure at Anfield.
‘It’s not easy because playing and training and doing Ramadan is not easy at all,’ former Anfield star Sadio Mane told beIN SPORTS in 2022.
‘But before Ramadan we tried to speak with the captain [Henderson] to tell the boss maybe can we change the schedule and train in the morning.
‘It’s easier for us. If you train in the morning then you have time to rest and go home. If you train around two or three, it’s gonna be tough!
‘The coach said yes and I think that makes it easier and we’re trying to do our best.’
When asked how Liverpool stars handle fasting on matchdays, Mane added: ‘It’s not easy, but like always the game day is something else!
‘With Ramadan it’s tough but I think Liverpool, they try to make everything easier for us.
‘We speak with our nutrionist, Mona, and especially before the game day she did everything easier for us to make sure we can do our Ramadan.’
Ramadan began on February 17 and will run through until March 19. Because the holy month follows the moon cycle, it has to be confirmed each year, with the crescent moon spotted on the evening of February 17, officially beginning the holiday.
One of the five pillars of Islam is that during Ramadan, Muslims fast during daylight hours to show their devotion to their religion.