The game between Leicester City and Crystal Palace was called off after 35 minutes so Wesley Fofana could break his fast. Despite having been on a fast for the entire day, Fofana was named in the starting XI for the game.
The French defender expressed his gratitude to the Premier League for how they handled his situation and for their understanding of the Islamic culture and traditions.
Fofana is a devout Muslim who was allowed to break his fast in the 35th minute of the match against Crystal Palace. The defender had gone several hours without eating or drinking, and the crucial Premier League game was scheduled just before Sunset (referred to as ifthaar). It is at this exact moment Muslims are required or obligated to break their fast.
Leicester won the game 2-1, and Fofana took to Twitter to thank the Premier League and Crystal Palace players and the teams for respecting his beliefs and customs. On Twitter, he stated:
A video had begun going viral, which showed the ref pausing the game briefly to enable players such as Fofana to break their fast quickly when Ramadan, the Holy month of fasting for Muslim people began in April, and this new custom looks to continue until May 12.
Leicester’s previous clash with West Brom on Thursday, April 22nd, took place similarly, with Foxes Manager Brendan Rodgers having to replace Fofana to allow the Frenchman to break his fast.
This time, however, he showed great character and spirit in Monday’s win, in which he played a full 90 minutes. The game itself was quite intense, as Leicester City had to come back to secure a critical win in the top-four race in the Premier League, a tough win that kept them in third place firmly.
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That’s incredible. It’s really great that they allowed him to break his fast. I hope this happens every year for muslim players.