Some of the replies to Kick It Out’s statement on a minority of Leeds United supporters booing the Ramadan fasting break during their game against Manchester City claimed that it was because it provided their opponents with a tactical break, which I have to admit that I enjoyed.
“Listen, that’s just the mark of the man: Pep Guardiola is a genius. He leaves no stone unturned. He was there in 610 AD, when Muhammad meditated in the cave of Hira. He’s always looking 1,400 years into the future. It’s marginal gains, Jeff.”
Other replies were far less easy to view with a sideways glance: “Utter woke nonsense,” “keep politics out of football,” “if they can’t manage the full 45 minutes then they shouldn’t be playing.” You could have guessed them all without doom scrolling social media, I’m sure.
The first thing to say is that the breaks are not new to this season. They were introduced in 2021 to allow Muslim footballers to break their fast at the allotted time.
For most of the last five years, it has barely merited a mention because, well, it just happened. Everyone chatted amongst themselves or dashed to the toilet and back.
As for the notion that it breaks up the game – it is the thinnest end of that wedge. The time got added on anyway. The ball was in play for less than 60 minutes in the entire match and there were multiple other stoppages.
Let’s be honest here: the reason this caused a fuss was because it was Ramadan. That is the lightning rod.
Nor is this the first time that Leeds supporters have been criticised for religious insensitivity. In December 2024, the club condemned fans over their chant for Israeli winger Manor Solomon that included the line “He hates Palestine.”
The only saving grace from Saturday was assistant manager Eddie Riemer choosing not to shy away from the incident, voicing his own displeasure in his post-match media interview.
After a fortnight in which Jose Mourinho committed a disgraceful dismissal of responsibility and victim-blaming over the alleged racist abuse of Vinicius Jr, good on Riemer for not taking a similar approach. Loyalty to a shirt must be overshadowed on issues greater than the importance of that shirt.
The bleakness of Saturday lies in its predictability. Football is culture and football is society because nowhere else do people come together in larger numbers.
England is a country where the politics of hate are intent upon dividing us, where the rich and powerful use those who have far less as useful scapegoats and are getting away with it.
Misinformation runs wild and people swallow it because they have been indoctrinated to believe in blame rather than believing in better.
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But football’s brilliance as a cultural entity lies in its diversity. Its actors are human beings, not football bots. They have religious beliefs and cultural norms across a spectrum and, where those beliefs are expressed in a way that causes no harm to the beliefs of others, should be celebrated.
If you want the best players in your league, deal with it. If you want insularity to be the ethos of your club’s existence, watch them suffer as a result.
Good on those who spoke out after the game; Guardiola’s own missive was on point. Good on Riemer. Good on those Leeds supporters who didn’t boo, although mere tolerance being worthy of celebration is itself depressing. And shame on those who booed and gave the rest a bad name. We have to be better than this.
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