muslim players in premier league 2021/22

Breaking The Lines 2017-2021. During the 2021/22 season, Ramadan landed at the beginning of April and ended at the beginning of May, thus impacting the Premier League fixtures, FA Cup fixtures and Champions League knockout rounds. Muslim footballers are making headlines for the right reasons, and we can expect more positive changes to occur as inclusion and diversity progress both on and off the pitch. Something similar also happened when Burnley and Everton faced off, allowing Abdoulaye Doucour to open his fast at sunset too. This eventually led to Ozil becoming exiled from the club and eventually leaving, his career has not been the same since. I havent spoken to him about this, it wont affect his performance. Analyzing Manchester Uniteds Biggest Priorities in the Summer 2022 Transfer Window. During the 21/22 season, Graham Scott briefly stopped the game between Leicester and Crystal Palace to allow Wesley Fofana and Cheikhou Kouyate to open their fast quickly with something sweet and water. One of the pillars of Islam includes fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. In 2019, Mesut Ozil put a post on Instagram regarding the treatment of the Uighur population in Xinjiang last year and criticised the Chinese government. One club that have committed to inclusion and diversity is Liverpool FC. For context, Muslims pray five times a day (before sunrise, at mid-day, mid-afternoon, sunset and night), so you can imagine a vast majority of these prayers falling during training hours, especially during the winter. Pogba ended up leaving the game in the first ten minutes following an injury knock. Ozil also argued that this was not directly to do with his religious beliefs, but more so his human beliefs and he would speak out regarding injustices no matter what. burnett Chelsea, Leicester, and Wembley Stadium are also offering these same prayer facilities now. As society encourages inclusion and diversity, there is still a lot of work to be done to provide an inclusive football world. During Ramadan in the 2021/22 season, Pogba did not play a full 90 minutes in the Premier League, and he also was a victim of criticism regarding Islamic posts during earlier seasons at Utd. Mohamed Salah is known to prostrate to the floor after scoring, known as sujood, Antonio Rudiger always started games before kick-off by making a prayer, known as a dua. As a result, Klopp changed the training schedules to morning sessions and remained committed to getting the best out of his Muslim players, whilst allowing them to observe their religion. Why Nordi Mukiele Could be a Shrewd Pickup This Summer for Manchester United. He mentioned his disappointment in the club, as there are a number of Muslim players at the club and in the past, as well as fans. As far as I know, Paul Pogba is fasting but, as I said, I havent talked to him about it in person., Paul Pogba The Story That Could Have Been. As a result, Ramadan is not set in stone by a specific date the way other religious holidays like Christmas (December 25), for example. After posting a video of him reciting the Quran on Instagram, United legend Ryan Giggs criticized the post and stated he should do his talking on the pitch. And whilst Pogba has since joined Juventus on a free transfer, United still have an ample amount of Muslim youngsters coming through their academy such as Hannibal Mejbri and Zidane Iqbal. Whether Karim Benzema leading Real Madrid to a Champions League triumph, Paul Pogba winning the World Cup with France, or Sadio Mane leading Senegal to a first-ever AFCON, more and moreMuslim footballers are making headlines for the right reasons, and we can expect more positive changes to occur as inclusion and diversity progress both on and off the pitch. Studies show that, since the arrival of Mohamed Salah to Liverpool, hate crimes in the city fell by 16%. Liverpool fans have even gone the extra mile to include references to his religion regarding chants for the forward. Sadio Mane mentioned in April that training and playing during Ramadan was not easy, particularly for daytime kickoffs. The study also showed that anti-Muslim tweets from Liverpool fans halved in comparison to other top-flight teams. Muslims cant drink or eat from sunrise to sunset, and as Muslims follow the lunar calendar, the Islamic months move by 9-10 days each year. During the winter, prayer times are more congested, resulting in one or two prayers being observed during 12:30 kick-offs. Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Angel Martinez / Getty Images. However, more and more clubs are acknowledging religious holidays across all religions and posting Ramadan and Eid messages across social media to announce the arrival of the new holiday. Prior to Manchester Uniteds meeting with Liverpool, interim manager Ralf Rangnick mentioned during a press conference that there was no intention for Pogba to open his fast during the game, as the game started shortly before sunset. NGolo Kante, Mohamed Salah, Hakim Ziyech, Ibrahima Konate just a small number of growing footballers in the Premier League of Muslim faith. In comparison, Wesley Fofana and Hamza Choudhury waved the flag of Palestine in support of injustices occurring in Gaza following the FA Cup, with no criticism whatsoever from Leicester City. In recent years, Ramadan has been observed during the peak of summer, falling in place during international tournaments, but as the calendar has changed, it has gotten closer to the regular football season. Despite the ever-changing football world and push for inclusivity, some clubs have yet to offer this. As well as prayer facilities, some clubs also provide halal food options at stadium kiosks. Rangnick went on to say As a player, as a professional, hes used to this.

As there is always mention of players, the mention of fans tends to go under the radar. Having frequented many football stadiums, this left a great impression on me. Eager to make life a tad easier for his Senegalese teammate, captain Jordan Henderson initiated talks with manager Jurgen Klopp to alternate training schedules during the month to allow players who were fasting to take advantage of when they have the most energy, which is earlier in the day. Other aspects of the football world have begun to adapt to Ramadan too. Last season, Sadio Mane stepped to the side during Liverpools FA Cup celebrations to avoid alcohol being poured on him, Muslim players did not have alcohol bottles in front of them during press conferences at the Euro 2020 and Arnaut Danjuma mentioned during his time at Bournemouth, the club provided him with prayer room facilities at the training base, to provide a clean space to observe his daily prayers. My own personal experience attending games at Old Trafford surprised me; as I approached the kiosk to buy a crisp and a drink, a Muslim employee told me the chicken pies were halal; something I did not expect. Although Arsenal did not publicly reprimand the star for his comments, they posted specifically on a Chinese social media site called Weibo that the club does not get involved in politics and that they adhere to the clubs principles at all times. Unapologetically following their faith on a public platform is not easy, but it is evident during celebrations of goals and trophies. Many people wonder the reasoning behind this; if there was pressure on the club to exclude Ozil from lineups after these comments and other external factors that influenced this. Whats Happening With Mesut zil at Fenerbahce? Arnaut Danjuma: Villarreals Dutch Star in Attack. All Rights Reserved. In 2016, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Everton, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur confirmed they do have stadium multifaith prayer facilities, providing access to fans who would like to observe prayers during matchdays. The study suggests that exposure to celebrities from stigmatized groups can reduce prejudice. As Muslims open their fast at sunset, evening kick-offs would coincide with this, hence why an initiative taken by the referee has been praised.

Compare & Book

Cheap Flights, Trains, Buses and more