Back in 2022, Dr Erkut Soghut and I had the opportunity to present all things Fasting, Food and Football, as we shared insights about Ramadan Fasting in the unifying sport of Football and cultural implications for players to a global audience.
I was originally inspired to look into the topic of Ramadan Fasting for footballers further, when in 2021 for the first time in Premier League history, Leicester City and Crystal palace agreed pre-game to pause their match at sundown during the first half to allow both Wesley Fofana and Cheikhou Kouyate to break their Ramadan fasts.
Leicester’s boss at the time commented on Fofana’s performance, stating ‘‘It’s remarkable, if you think of his performance in an FA Cup semi-final, he hasn’t eaten all day and he can still perform at that level. I’ve worked with lots of players with devotion to their faiths and for a lot of guys, it gives them strength’’.
The general expectation is players would become weaker when fasting, and often the opposite is often true. Many top Muslim players often see performances peak. Take Karim Benzema, in Real Madrid’s 2022 Champion’s League-winning campaign, he sensationally scored a hat-trick against Chelsea after fasting all day.
How does Ramadan make Footballers better?
During this period, players are more connected to their faith and spirituality and this is where the strength is drawn upon. Physical food is substituted for spiritual food. Football is a sport that relies on the mind as well as the physical attributes of players. Focus on community, giving back and with this heightened level of focus is where often the gains are seen. But physical performance needs good nutritional strategies.
Iftar and Suhoor are the two meals eaten in Ramadan. Slow releasing energy based foods and gradual hydration are key. Training sessions being switched early morning and evening can also be of huge benefit.
Other Ramadan Accommodating Leagues?
2024 also brought Australia’s A-League to introduce special in-match pauses to allow players observing Ramadan to break their fast during matches, following the example of the MLS and the UK’s Premier League. During the 2023 season, the Premier League stopped a total of eight matches to allow Muslim players to eat and drink on the pitch side.
In 2023, The US’s Major League Soccer (MLS) instituted a policy allowing for a pause in play during games played during Ramadan for observing players and match officials to break their daily fasts, as needed.
Promoting Ramadan
As the sport becomes more global and top athletes join from a range of backgrounds, it is inevitable that the presence of practicing Muslim footballers will increase in football. Fast forward to 2025 and Football Clubs from across the leagues, celebrated the coming of Ramadan with welcoming messages at the end of February and March. From Spanish Clubs like Barcelona FC to Italy’s AC Milan, Germany’s Bayern Munich through to Chelsea, Liverpool and Scotland’s Rangers, social media posts contained messages of Ramadan Mubarak in Arabic and English:
Brands
Whilst clubs are welcoming Ramadan, brands have also captured headlines with the opportunity to send a message of inclusivity when selling their products. Perhaps most celebrated was the Adidas x Ramadan 2023 campaign created for the Swedish market – a country where Muslims represent around 8% of the population, accounting for approximately one million people.
Adidas collaborated with athletes of the Muslim community, including former FC Union Berlin football player Aissa Laidouni, to launch a Ramadan health initiative focused on nutrition and physical activity. This campaign aimed to inspire and motivate the community to maintain a healthy balance during the holy month, addressing the challenges that this period can pose on the mind and the body. Featuring personal stories of early morning meals and night-time workouts, the initiative highlighted the importance of maintaining discipline during fasting and doing sports, promoting individual and collective growth.
FA Rules
In the UK alone, Muslims account for 6% of the population (~4 million people) and the FA rules make it clear that all faiths are observed and respected.
The FA rule B5 football & religious observance states
a. A Participant cannot be compelled to play football on bona fide occasions where religious observance precludes such activity, save where the Participant:
(i) has consented to do so on such occasions; or
(ii) is registered as a player under written contract, which shall be taken as consent to play on such occasions unless otherwise provided for in the contract.
b. Annually, when planning programmes, Competitions shall define and notify agreed dates of such occasions.
The PFA
The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) has been delivering Muslim Player Considerations awareness workshops at clubs for over 10 years – designed to help coaches and multidisciplinary teams support players who are fasting during the religious month.
These important workshops provide participants with essential understanding and real actions to help improve the working conditions for Muslim players leading into and during the month of Ramadan, such as helping clubs successfully balance nutrition, hydration, recovery and rest. The workshops also encourage clubs to sit down with players leading up to the religious month to help build a tailored, individualised schedule that will optimise player performance and wellbeing during that time.
The PFA has been visiting clubs across England’s Football League pyramid, from League Two to the Premier League, delivering to support staff and players. Brentford, was one club that benefited from sessions in 2024 which gave guidance on day-to-day assistance for Muslim players, as well how clubs can best support players during Ramadan. Brentford FC’s Thomas Frank requested the workshop because he wanted to know more about Ramadan, why the players do it, and how to navigate the month as a head coach.
Coaches are sometimes unsure how players at the elite level can undertake Ramadan fasting and perform, but these players have been doing it for a long time. They’re used to it and the experienced players will usually self-regulate and start conversations early with their support teams.
Club Events
During Ramadan, many Muslim players in youth football will be affected. Ramadan fasting can start as early as the age of 8, but tends to impact older age groups from 13/14 upwards (after the age of puberty).
Feb 2025: Chelsea’s Academy hosted its third consecutive special Ramadan gathering fostering a strong sense of community and inclusivity.
Chelsea made a statement ‘’We proudly support 16 Muslim players across all age groups, and this event provided a meaningful opportunity to strengthen those connections. The afternoon was filled with thoughtful discussions and moments of unity.’’
Mar 2025: The Ramadan Tent project (RTP) is an award-winning charity that brings communities together and spreads the spirit of Ramadan through various initiatives. For the first time in its 1000 year history, an open Iftar was hosted at Windsor Castle where more than 350 people gathered to break fast.
RTP has hosted open iftar events at Brighton & Hove Albion FC as well as Chelsea FC and most recently at AFC Wimbledon, which welcomed none other than surprise guest football legend Mesut Özil on 16th March.
Ramadan Nutrition Guides
Layla Banaras became the first South Asian female to represent Ramadan in the professional era with Birmingham City FC. At 15, she worked with a club nutritionist to produce a Ramadan Nutrition Guide and Meal Planner recognising the need to understand the best ways to fuel herself for elite level sport. Working with sports nutritionist Isobel Cotham, Layla’s guide gives examples of food to be consumed, the science of what, when and why Muslim athletes should be eating and drinking during the religious period. She has also worked with the PFA to produce a meal planner.
Layla was scouted by Birmingham City aged eight. Her efforts were recognised by The Sunday Times a few years ago, when she was named as Young Inspiration of the Year. Speaking on her Ramadan Nutrition Guide, Layla said: “Religion and football are both big parts of my life, so when it comes to fasting, I need to be prepared for both. I train and play a lot, so keeping my energy levels up without any professional guidance is hard – that’s why I wanted to create these plans, so that Muslim athletes can carry on performing at their best”.
Key Considerations
Four key considerations, need to be factored into a sportsperson’s regime during Ramadan:
(1) Nutrition: Fuelling with nutrient rich, smaller meals, providing slow releasing energy
(2) Hydration: Adequate hydration along with electrolyte balance
(3) Sleep: Altered sleep patterns, shorter naps during the day, and more recovery time
(4) Training: Ideally to be tapered, or ensuring intense sessions occur after eating post sundown
What Does the Research Say?
- Stem Cell based regeneration through fasting: Fasting triggers the down-regulation of nutrient-sending pathways, bringing adaptive cellular responses – reducing inflammation and oxidative stress and improving energy metabolism. (2015 Bradhorst S et al. A Periodic diet that mimics fasting promotes multi-system regeneration, enhanced cognitive performance and healthspan. Cell Metab,. 22(1):86-99))
- 12 weeks of football raises oxygen processing by 10-15% (University of Copenhagen 2015 study)
- Young male national footballers observing Ramadan Fasting showed ‘no compromise in physical & physiological performance’ and no reduction in subjective wellbeing (2012 FIFA Medical Research Centre)
Ramadan fasting is influenced by the length of fast, climatic conditions (i.e. intense heat or cold), an athletes body composition and muscle mass. The fasting itself induces a shift to greater reliance on fat oxidation to meet energy needs, with a possible increase in protein breakdown. As a result, timing and what a player eats is key.
Of note also is that over 29-30 days, the body experiences a detoxification effect, whereby in the first days with glycogen being pulled from muscles, some muscle fatigue can occur with headaches as well.
As fats are broken down to release glycerol, from glyceride molecules, there may be a visible increase in ‘oiliness of the skin’.
As the weeks progress and body starts to adapt and ‘embrace’ fasting the digestive system can rest and cellular repair occurs. In the final stages of Ramadan, with the colon, liver, kidneys, lungs and skin eliminating toxins, the body then becomes more energetic with heightened focus and emotional clarity. Memory and concentration also often improves.
Hydration should therefore include water, coconut water and also herbal teas such as Dandelion tea (to support the liver detoxification pathways).
Below are my suggestions for a typical Ramadan Fasting Day for UK Muslim Footballer:
Useful Links:
Here are some useful Ramadan resources to tap into: