Pep Guardiola has called on football supporters to “respect religion and diversity” after fans booed a brief stoppage in play at Elland Road to allow Muslim players to break their Ramadan fast. Play was halted in the 13th minute of Manchester City’s 1-0 win against Leeds after sunset, allowing Muslim players to eat. Despite a clear message on the big screen, fans audibly jeered.
“It is a modern world, right?” Guardiola said. “Respect religion, diversity, that is the point. The Premier League says you can have one or two minutes for the players to do it. It is what it is, unfortunately. We took on a little bit of vitamins because [Rayan] Cherki, [Rayan] Aït-Nouri did not eat today. The question is, can they do it or not? What is the problem?”
Leeds assistant head coach Edmund Riemer, standing in for Daniel Farke who was sent off after the final whistle, said: “I’m probably the guy who doesn’t hear a lot because I’m really focused on the game, but I’ve heard about it. Obviously some of the supporters did it, so we try to learn from it. It’s disappointing, we need to do better next time.”
Guardiola had earlier discussed how Omar Marmoush, Aït-Nouri, Cherki and Abdukodir Khusanov deal with the complexities of being Muslim and professional athletes. Stoppages of this nature have become a regular feature during Ramadan. “They follow this religious tradition,” Guardiola said. “We cannot adapt the schedule for the Premier League times and I think they are used to it.”
Kick It Out, the anti-discrimination charity, said: “It is massively disappointing that some Leeds United fans jeered when Manchester City’s players broke their fast. This was compounded by the fact that an explanation was displayed on a big screen. Pausing the game to allow Muslim players to break their fast has been an agreed protocol for several years. But as tonight’s reaction shows, football still has a long way to go in terms of education and acceptance.”
