Curious situation that occurred last night in two Premier League matches. At Bournemouth-Crystal Palace and Newcastle-Everton, the referee decided to stop the match for several minutes so that the Muslim players could eat after a day of fasting for Ramadan.
The clash between Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, a match that Andoni Iraola’s team won 1-0, was stopped as soon as it began, in the third minute. Dango Ouattara approached the sideline to be provided with an energy drink and dates by a member of the Bournemouth coaching staff.
On the other hand, in the match played at St. James’ Park, there were three Everton footballers who broke their fast. In the 20th minute, Amadou Onana, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gueye left the field for a few moments to feed themselves.
The footballers of the rival teams respected this decision, since the Premier League decided to take this initiative last season, so that all players competed on equal terms. In fact, Ouattara himself broke his fast last year in the middle of the game against Brighton, along with his former teammate Hamed Junior Traore.
The month of Ramadan began on March 10 and ends on April 9. Practicing Muslims abstain from eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset. The two games started after 8 p.m., so they could not eat any food until the start of the match.