BERLIN: Muslim professional football players may eat normally during the holy month of Ramadan beginning next Wednesday following an agreement between Muslim leaders and German sports officials over fasting.
The Central Council of Muslims in Germany said it had initiated talks with the country’s professional football associations and sought the advice of Islamic scholars to resolve a dispute about players fasting.
The Al-Azhar University in Cairo concluded that an exception to the Ramadan fasting rules could be made for professional players.
"The contract between the player and the team requires players to deliver a certain performance and if this work, contractually (and not for amateur or hobby football), is his only source of income and if he has to play during this time, then he may break the fast," Al-Azhar, the foremost authority in Sunni Islam, wrote.
The Dublin-based European Council for Fatwa and Research opted not to rule on the issue after what it described as Al-Azhar’s definitive judgment.
The German Football League agreed to distribute the written findings to its players in several languages.
During the month of Ramadan, observant Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.
The conflict in Germany began when the second-division team FSV Frankfurt gave three Muslim players an official warning last October for fasting during Ramadan and failing to inform their trainers.
FSV chief executive Bernd Reisig welcomed the agreement.
"We are very pleased that an arrangement could be found that allows players to perform professionally as top-flight athletes and still fully practice their religion," he said.
