Last Wednesday, a soccer match was stopped temporarily so a Muslim player could break their Ramadan fast. A German Bundesliga match was paused so Mainz defender Moussa Niakhate could take a drink of water.
Ramadan is an Islamic holy month of fasting, prayer, and reflection and this year, runs from April 1 and ends May 1. Those who observe Ramadan do not drink or eat during daylight, so at sunset they are able to drink or eat.
At sunset, during Mainz’s game against Augsburg at the WWK Arena, referee Matthias Jollenbeck stopped the action so the player could have some water and he drank two bottles.
Niakhate was grateful for the gesture and thanked the referee for letting him stop to hydrate.
This marks the first time a game was paused in Bundesliga history to let a player break Ramadan fast.
Lutz Michael Frohlich, the director of communications for the German Referee Committee, was in favor of what the referee did. He released a statement, saying, “There is no general instruction in this regard, but of course we support our referees allowing such drinking breaks during Ramadan at the request of the players.”
Another Bundesliga match was paused last week to let a Muslim player break their fast, when during RB Leipzig’s Sunday win over Hoffenheim referee Bastian Dankert stopped the game, letting RB Leipzig defender Mohamed Siamakan have water.
