The French Football Federation (FFF) has refused to provide pauses during matches to allow Muslim players to break their fast after sunset, RMC Sport reported on Tuesday.
Chairman of the Federal Referees Commission (CFA) Éric Borghini justified the decision with the incongruous phrase “a time to play sport, a time to practice one’s religion.”
The decision to refuse any reasonable accommodation to Muslim players for the Ramadan fast was announced last year via an e-mail to CFA’s and other officials, informing them that the FFF would not permit matches to be interrupted for Muslim players to break the fast by either hydrating or eating.
That decision cited French “fundamental values” of secularism and the need for measures to prevent discrimination.
In contrast to France, other European countries such as England, Germany, and the Netherlands do make such accommodations and allow Muslim players to break their fast during matches.
France had already banned Muslim players to break their fast during the game last Ramadan too.