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 the sun had set to allow the Muslim players to eat. At this point, despite a clear message on the big screen, fans audibly jeered the situation.
“It is a modern world, right?” Guardiola said. “[You see] what is happening in the world today. Respect religion, diversity, that is the point. The Premier League says you can have one or two minutes, you can have for the [fasting] players to do it [break their fast]. It is what it is, unfortunately.”
Leeds assistant head coach Edmund Riemer added: “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.”
Kick it Out, the anti-discrimination charity, said in a statement: “It is massively disappointing that some Leeds United fans jeered when Manchester City’s players broke their fast during the first half of the match at Elland Road. This was compounded by the fact that an explanation was displayed on a big screen inside the stadium.”
