Liverpool’s star Sadio Mane has revealed how Liverpool changed the normal training schedule to support Muslim players throughout Ramadan.
Ramadan is the 9th month of the Hijri Islamic calendar. From dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from food, drinking liquids, smoking, and engaging in sexual relations).
This year Ramadan began in the evening of April 1 and it will end at night on May 1.
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Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konate and Naby Keita are among Liverpool’s prominent Muslim stars observing Ramadan.
While Premier League rules say that captains can request a drinks break after sunset for players to break their fast – Liverpool have taken further steps to accommodate the needs of their Muslim players, The Independent reported.
“It’s not easy because playing and training and doing Ramadan isn’t easy at all,” he told beIN Sports.
“But before Ramadan we tried to talk to the captain and to tell the boss maybe can we change the schedule? We train in the morning. It’s easier for us. If you train in the morning then you have time to rest and go home.
“It’s going to be tough if not because if you train around two or three it’s going to be tough. They said yes and I think that made it easier. We are trying to do our best.”
Easier Ramadan in Liverpool
Asked how players handle fasting on gamedays, Mane replied: “It’s not easy, but like always the gameday is something else.
“With Ramadan it’s tough but I think Liverpool, they try to make everything easier for us.”
Mane was speaking ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Villarreal at Anfield. He scored Liverpool’s second goal in a 2-0 win.
Salah and Konate played the full match, while Mane was subbed off in the 73rd minute. Keita made a 20-minute cameo in the second half after replacing Henderson.
Many Muslim players have excelled while observing Ramadan.
Earlier this month, Real Madrid’s Muslim star Karim Benzema was reported to have fasted all day before feasting on Chelsea’s defense and scoring a sensational hat-trick.
Brooklyn Net’s Muslim player Kyrie Irving also made great records for his team this month while fasting.