Of all the controversial things Jose Mourinho has said, like calling himself The Special One , the least divisive comments have been about fasting in Ramadan.
After yanking out his Inter Milan Ghanaian Muslim midfielder Sulley Muntari in a recent 1-1 draw with Bari, coach Mourinho revealed the move had been prompted because the player’s perceived “low-energy levels were a result of fasting.
The remarks sparked an outcry, although all Mourinho said was: With Muntari I think he had a few problems linked to Ramadan. Perhaps it s not positive for him to be in this situation with this heat.Ramadan has not arrived at the ideal moment for a player to play a football match.
Mourinho s comments were seized on by Mohamed Dachan, president of the union of Islamic communities in Italy. I think Mourinho could do with talking a little less, said the Islamic scholar.
In truth, Mourinho didn t say anything so explosive or derisive. It is hot in Italy and elsewhere these days and the sun and heat pose obvious problems and even danger for athletes during Ramadan. Practice and playing on hot days without drinking any water can lead to a decline in performance, as was the case with Muntari, and can in fact result in dehydration. Unlike Islamic countries, neither European clubs nor football associations make special arrangements for league games and other tournaments during Ramadan. Neither coaches nor scheduling in the West make adjustments in practice, pre-game routines and actual matches bearing the safety of fasting players, or their performance, in mind.
If anything, Mourinho has Egypt s Dar El-Iftaa, the country s top religious institution responsible for issuing fatwas, or religious edicts, on his side. Dar El-Iftaa, which is made up of Egypt s top religious authorities, gave the Egyptian Under-20 World Cup football squad permission to avoid fasting during Ramadan. The U-20 competition, which Egypt is hosting, starts on Sept. 24, just a few days after the end of Ramadan, but the team is currently in strict training in a bid to claim the prestigious title. Dar El-Iftaa explained that if fasting affects the performance of a player, then he is allowed to break his fast.
Fasting during Ramadan, especially in the summer, is tough on any athlete but Dachan correctly said Muntari would gain mental strength from his Muslim beliefs to help him overcome the handicaps of fasting during daylight hours. A player who is a believing Christian, Jew or Muslim is certainly calmer psychologically, and that improves his performance, Dachan said.
Apparently, Mourinho was not persuaded and did not rule out the possibility of dropping Muntari for the Milan derby – between arch rivals Inter Milan and AC Milan this weekend – for the same reason of fasting. Sunday s match in the San Siro kicks off after sundown in Italy, leaving the player some time to re-hydrate, but that still might not save Muntari from being benched.
Some athletes are able to fast during Ramadan; others cannot or do not want to. Muntari s fellow Muslim and Siena striker Abdel-Kader Ghezzal admitted he cannot fast and play at the same time. But when the adult Egyptian football team meets Rwanda in a crucial World Cup qualifier on Sept 5, the game will be played in the middle of a hot Ramadan day, yet most likely the entire Egyptian team will be fasting.
The same goes for the youngsters. After Dar El-Iftaa came out with their fatwa, an infuriated Azhar Scholars Front issued a statement of its own denouncing the opinion. The Egyptian players preparing for the under-20 World Cup broke the deadlock and defused the controversy by turning down the chance to break their fast.
Can sport and religion ever be separated in a satisfactory way? A CNN e-poll says the two issues, when put together, will always be divisive. When it asked respondents whether it was right to drop a fasting footballer, out of a total 6,828 votes, 66 percent said yes and 34 percent no.
But a fasting footballer can deliver. Mourinho has every right to expect 100 percent from his players, and should bench anybody who is not or cannot give his all. However, he should also acknowledge that a player of faith can perform just as well, sometimes better, in a period of self-enforced discipline.
