French referees told not to pause matches during Ramadan

(AFP) France’s football federation has told referees they must not pause matches to allow Muslim players to break their fast during Ramadan, media reports said Friday.

Unlike England’s Premier League which allows it, the practice does not comply with the French Football Federation’s statutes, several media reported the body saying in an email sent to referees Thursday.

It said it had been brought to the federation’s attention that matches were being interrupted following the breaking of the Ramadan fast.

“The idea is that there is a time for everything. A time to do sport, a time to practise one’s religion,” Eric Borghini, head of the federal referee commission at the federation, told AFP.

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