FC Nantes Player Excluded from Match Over Ramadan Fasting Dispute

Arrived at FC Nantes this winter from Paris FC, Jaouen Hadjam, a key element of the system set up by Kombouaré, is not on the list of 19 players selected for the match against Reims this Sunday. The reason is the player’s refusal to postpone his Ramadan fast to participate in the match, as requested by Nantes coach, reports Ouest-France, specifying that Hadjam would accept this condition "when the team travels, but not for home games".

In a press conference on Friday, Antoine Kombouaré was clear on the subject, stressing that fasting is allowed during the week for the players who practice it. "I met the players concerned. We discussed. We work to make sure it goes well and it often is. There is the will that on the weekend, the players are at the top to make the team win," he said.

"Those who fast on match day must stay at home. I’m not going to play with the players’ health or put the other players in difficulty. When you don’t eat all day, it becomes complicated," he had already argued in 2009 when he was coach of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). On March 27, Hadjam was with the Algerian team for the match against Niger (1-0) as part of the CAN qualifications. The two teams had agreed on a break to allow the players concerned to break the fast.

In France, the subject is controversial, especially after the decision of the French Football Federation (FFF) to prohibit its referees from interrupting matches to allow Muslim players to break their fast. A practice that is nevertheless authorized in England.