Despite coming up to the biggest match of his life, Egyptian and Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah will reportedly strictly observe the customs of Ramadan – even on the day of the Champions League final.
According to Egyptian fan site – El-Ahly.com – Salah will fast before the kick off of the final against Real Madrid in Kyiv next Saturday night – and with the increased day light hours in the European summer, this could mean up to 18 hours. (The average daylight hours during Ramadan in the UAE are 13 to 14 hours.)
Many professional athletes fast during Ramadan while maintaining their playing regime – All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams and English cricketer Moeen Ali just to name a few.
While others either delay their fast or break it around competition days – such as Muslim boxer Badou Jack who drew with Adonis Stevenson in a WBC light-heavyweight bout in Toronto on Saturday night.
https://t.co/PrEtXJbEXo confirms @MoSalah will fast more than 18 hours before facing Real Madrid in CL final next Saturday in Kiev as the match comes in Ramadan.#UCLfinal #ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/QWZHzRlwUL
— El-Ahly.com (@ElAhlycom) May 20, 2018
“I have to make sure I am hydrated before I begin my fast,” Ali, who is currently playing for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL, explained to the BBC last year. “My schedule does not change too much but I have to make sure I get a good sleep before the match.
“I have been doing it for a very long time so I am not worried about it. I am used to it and it is more a mental than physical thing.”
It has not been revealed if Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has put any plans in place to assist Salah during his fast but Egyptian Pharaohs coach Hector Cuper has already taken steps to make sure Salah and his team mates will not be affected in the lead up to the World Cup, which starts on June 14.
“The Egyptian Football Association has hired specialists to help me and the players during the fasting month of Ramadan,” Cuper said.
“We will organize and monitor their eating and sleeping and hope that this will not affect them badly.
“It may be a problem to the coaches because the players will stop eating from sunrise until sunset, so it will not be easy during training but that is to do with the religion and I can’t prevent them from observing Ramadan.
Salah offers a prayer during a recent match.
“We are working on this and seeking to find the best way to overcome fasting fatigue and prevent it from hurting the players.”
While the Grand Mufti of Egypt Shawki Allam has granted Salah and his international teammates permission to postpone their Ramadan fasting obligations in the days building up to the World Cup this summer, it is not sure whether this covers the Champions League final or whether Salah will make use of this option.
And just days ago the vice president of the Salafi Dawah group, Yasser Borhami confirmed that according to Islamic Sharia law, Salah cannot break his fasting during the Champions League final on May 26.
Liverpool FC are yet to publicly confirm whether Salah or Muslim team mate Sadio Mane are observing their fast prior to the Champions League
