03/29/24 04:12:00
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03/29 04:10 CDT French soccer federation limits support for players' Ramadan
observance. Critics see discrimination
French soccer federation limits support for players' Ramadan observance.
Critics see discrimination
By SAMUEL PETREQUIN
AP Sports Writer
For Muslim soccer players in deeply secular France, observing Ramadan is a tall
order, and this is not about to change.
Wielding the principle of religious neutrality enshrined in the French
constitution, the country's soccer federation does not make things easy for
international players who want to refrain from drinking or eating from dawn to
sunset during the Islamic holy month.
Ahead of training camps which took place in March, the federation made clear it
would not change the schedule for meals and practices to accommodate players
who want to fully observe the religious ritual.
Some left-wing politicians, coaches and former players were outraged; the
federation denied accusations of religious discrimination.
The secular outlook in France also prevents league referees from authorizing
pauses in games to allow Muslim players to break their fast with a quick bite
and drink on the sidelines during evening matches. Such breaks have been
authorized in nearby countries such as Germany, England and the Netherlands.
French secularism, while affirming religious freedom, provides that the state
does not favor any religion and remains neutral. The French soccer federation
(FFF) says part of its mission is to defend the country's strict adherence to
secularism in public life.
Critics say this leads to anti-Muslim rules.
"You want to forbid them to be Muslim. Whether we like it or not, it's part of
their identity that we're trying to erase," said Demba Ba, the former Senegal
international player who was born in France and is Muslim.
He says he fasted for Ramadan throughout his professional career, even on match
days. He has described particularly hard days when he played in the English
Premier League with Newcastle, with matches sometimes scheduled at 1 p.m. in
the summer, when the sun sets late in this part of England.
While Catholicism remains the leading religion, Islam is France's
second-largest faith, encompassing an estimated 10% of the population.
FRANCE'S LACK OF RAMADAN ACCOMMODATIONS GOES AGAINST TREND
In Muslim countries, clubs shift their training schedule to make it easier for
players who fast during Ramadan. In recent years, Western countries have
followed suit and France's approach seems increasingly isolated.
In the English Premier League, captains of clubs with Muslim players can
arrange with match officials to create a pause at sundown to allow players to
break their fast. Soccer officials in Australia have adopted the same approach,
introducing breaks for players observing Ramadan for the first time this
season. In the U.S., Major League Soccer introduced drink breaks last year.
In addition, some Premier League teams have signed a Muslim athletes' charter,
pledging to create a more inclusive environment.
In France, meanwhile, Nantes coach Antoine Kombouare said last year he helped
his players adapt their schedule to Ramadan's requirements, but fasting on game
day was not an option.
Kombouare would let the players fast during the week, but on match day he would
not select those who do.
"I respect that a player fasts. But on the other hand, he has to respect the
rules I've put in place, and that goes for everyone," Kombouare said.
Philippe Diallo, the FFF president, denies accusations the federation is
effectively banning Ramadan observance due to its stringent rules.
"No one at the federation, starting with me, has forbidden anyone to fast,"
Diallo told France Info media. "I can't accept people saying that the FFF
discriminates on religious grounds."
The FFF says fasting players are allowed to skip meals and offered medical
advice. It also contends that Muslim players who choose to postpone their
fasting days will have a valid excuse in the eyes of religious authorities.
The controversy --- spotlighted last year when France Under-23 players
reportedly threatened to go on strike for the right to fast --- grew after
Habib Beye, the coach of Paris-based Red Star, criticized the federation's
framework related to religious fasting.
"I truly respect my players' faith of any kind," Beye said last week. "I also
have players practicing Lent. One only sees the downsides, but I only see the
benefits. It creates cohesion, discussions, a solidarity that people may not
see on a football pitch."
Beye, who says he's the son of a Muslim and a Catholic, believes the strict
rules are imposed only on Muslim players.
"I call it religious discrimination," he said.
Water and dates are the traditional Muslim way to break the fast during
Ramadan. Last year, Paris Saint-Germain fans mocked the federation rules by
deploying during a match a banner that read: "A date, a glass of water: the
FFF's nightmare."
SOCCER LIMITS REFUEL SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE DEBATE
The polemics are refueling the lingering debate on secularism --- still
volatile more than a century after the 1905 law on separation of church and
state that established it as a principle of the French Republic. The country's
constitution states, "France is an indivisible, secular, democratic and social
Republic. It ensures the equality of all citizens before the law, without
distinction of origin, race or religion."
Razika Adnani, a secular philosopher who studies how people relate to Islam,
welcomed the FFF decision to maintain its ban on breaking the fast during
matches. By refusing such pauses, she said the federation protects Muslims who
do not fast --- but might pretend they fast, and refrain from drinking water,
to avoid reprisals from Muslim fans.
"Originally, breaking the fast was a private matter," she wrote in an op-ed
piece for the newspaper Le Figaro. "It was done at home with the family or in
restaurants. Interrupting matches to allow players to break their Ramadan fast,
which is more than just a 'refreshing break,' is tantamount to establishing
this Ramadan atmosphere on the soccer pitch and imposing it on all players, all
supporters, all viewers, in a form of fait accompli."
There were no Ramadan-linked incidents reported during the latest gathering of
senior French international players. But there were reports in French media
last week that Lyon midfielder Mahamadou Diawara declined to join the France
Under-19s training camp when he found out about the rules relating to religious
fasting. Asked for comments, Lyon and the French federation did not give a
reason for Diawara's refusal to attend.
To guarantee a neutral approach, Diallo said there can't be any changes to
timetables and common practices at training camps purely on religious grounds.
"I respect everyone's convictions," he said. "When players are selected for the
French national team, I don't ask them about their religion."
The FFF insists the rules are not anti-Islam and that players who might want to
observe Lent-related fasting, for instance, would also have to observe the
federation's framework and would not be accommodated.
The polemics are reminiscent of the heated debate that emerged when France's
highest administrative court ruled last year that the French soccer federation
was entitled to ban headscarves in competitions, even though the measure could
limit freedom of expression.
The Council of State issued its ruling after a group of headscarf-wearing
soccer players called "Les Hijabeuses" --- the word hijab refers to the
headscarf --- campaigned against the ban and launched legal action.
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collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.
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