France’s Islamophobia: From French Football Leagues to Women in Sports

© 2022 Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via AP

France is no stranger to laws and acts that can be seen as anti-Islamic by the public. This year has proved no different for French organizations. With a French soccer league ban on stoppage in a professional match during Ramadan, morals for French organizations and the government are once again taken into question. Ramadan is celebrated by Muslims all over the world from all walks of life. This year it occurs from March 23rd all the way until April 21st. The religious practice is around a month long and practices during this time are fasting. Those fasting will refrain from eating or drinking anything from sunrise to sundown. The act takes an immense amount of strength for those participating and that is why children and the elderly are excused from taking part, as well as, women on their period. 

In a leaked email, the French Football Federation has outlined its rules and regulations for the referees’ and players’ actions during Ramadan. The email was sent to the CFA or the Federal Commission of Referees claiming that referees should not stop time to allow for players to break fast by eating or drinking at sunset. Along with the ban, there was said to be punishment for those who break this rule. Due to a law in France that was passed in 1905, the country now has to respect the separation of Church and State, a key point for the FFF to send this email to the referees’ association. The memo stated, “A football field, a stadium, a gymnasium, are not places of political or religious expression, they are places of neutrality where the values ​​of sport, such as equality, fraternity, impartiality, learning to respect the referee, oneself and others,”

One French team in particular has also been under fire for benching one of its players because of his refusal to break his fast on game day. Jaouen Hadjam is a defender on FC Nantes and he is a French-born Algerian player who was benched for his refusal to break his fast. The manager of FC Nantes, Antoine Kombouare, spoke about the benching, saying that he was concerned for Hadjam’s physical health and safety at the hand of his religious choices. Hadjam has agreed to break his fast for away games and his manager, Kombouare, has insisted to media outlets and the public that the decision to bench Hadjam has no controversy saying, “It's his choice and I respect it. This is not a punishment…” He is later quoted, “During the week, there are no problems with fasting players. I'm ready to support them if needed… But on gameday, you should not fast. And those who fast are not in the squad. I don't want them to pick up an injury.” Koumbouare’s decision to bench Hadjam has not come without consequences. While it is understandable to worry about the health of your players, the French Football Federation oddly seems to be the only ones worried. Other soccer clubs around the world have instead adjusted to the needs players face during this time. America’s MLS and England’s Premier League show opposite results when it comes to catering to those on teams and crews who are participating in Ramadan.   

The French Football Federation’s decision to enforce no stoppage time for fast breaks has called into question their choice when compared to the actions taken by England’s own soccer organizations under the Premier League. A top ranking organization filled with dozens of well beloved teams all over the world including a huge fanbase in the United States, the Premier League is encouraging quick time stops to accommodate players and others observing Ramadan to break their fasts. Before the start of Ramadan, Premier League and English Football Federation referees were told to observe time for fast breaks in contrast to the email sent to French referees. The English rules for breaking fasts do not include large meals or drinks midgame, but rather allow for time to drink water and consume other gels or food sustaining liquids quickly on the side of the field. 

With the accommodations on the English side of the professional football playing spectrum, Muslim players have spoken out on how the allowances made them feel. Abdoulaye Doucoure, who plays midfield for the football club, Everton, has commented on how important the accommodation really is. He is quoted saying, “In the Premier League, you are free to do whatever suits you. They will never do anything against your faith and this is great. I fast every day, I don’t miss any day.” He goes on to remark on how the team’s chef will leave halal meals later for when the team returns from away games, “…but when we go [for away matches], we might need to eat later than the others, so the chef prepares food for us, making sure everything is in place as at home.”

The effort of team chefs doesn’t end with the Premier League’s support as it also boils into the United States’ own soccer league. Writer Charles Boehm for the MLS press remarks that time stoppage for fast breaks take no more time than it would to review a play or injury delays, rebutting the concerns of those in opposition to breaks in the game. Mohammed Farsi, a defender for the Columbus Crew club, commented, “Everybody stopped to let me and Steven [Moreira] eat.’ It was very appreciated and very respectful, so I thank everyone for that.” The nutritionist for Columbus Crew, Kyla Cross, doesn’t stray too far from the normal routine and food she gives to non-Muslim players, but she take into account the fasting of Farsi and Moreira and will pack the men extra snacks like dates or bananas to make up for their empty stomachs that are accessible from the bench as soon as they are able to break their fasts. Club nutritionists and kitchens will help the players navigate their pre-dawn meals or suhoor and they aid with the addition of another meal post-sundown to help the men be prepared for game days or training sessions. Cross says it is to ‘super-compensate’ for the 13 hours the men haven’t eaten or drank throughout the entire day. 

The MLS and other organizations have not always been accommodating to those participating in Ramadan and players had to fend for themselves when it came to food routines and planning their meals once their fast breaks or begins. With the support from teams and the organization, players remark on the effect it has on their performance and is a mood booster. Ali Ahmed for the Vancouver Whitecaps says “...the team here has been super duper accommodating…So that is big for me – it shows a big, big sign of respect…” Farsi is quoted saying that he had to work things out for himself but not the help from the team makes the whole process much easier. The senior vice president for competition and medical administration of the MLS, Jeff Agoos, added that not just players observe Ramadan but also referees so it was only natural for the organization to recognize fast breaks and make the religious event more accessible for those working in the MLS. 

Lack of understanding of Islamic practices and traditions is not new to French institutions. Early last year around January of 2022, French conservative proposed a ban on hijabs for women playing sports claiming it was a safety hazard. The ban was passed 160 to 143 also banning what the French Senate called “conspicuous religious symbols.” France’s constant targeting of Muslims is upsetting, but not surprising. France is home to the largest Muslim population in Europe and over 31% of Muslim women in the country choose to wear a hijab. Looking towards the past, attacks on Muslim women are nothing new. In 2011, France prohibited face covers and this stretched as far as to apply to tourists in the country and not just residents. The face covers are illegal if worn outside the home and if the women do choose to wear their face covers, niqabs, they would be fined around 150 euros in addition to having to attend a class on French citizenship. All these measures are supposedly in place to ensure that the women understand secularism in the country. With the dawn of the pandemic in 2020, French law had made surgical face masks law in order to prevent spread. Despite the obvious hypocrisy, France decided to keep their ban on full face coverings for Muslim women. 
France’s blatant Islamophobia is jarring, but not new. Past actions of the French government laid the groundwork for an expectation of rules and regulations that are inherently anti-Muslim. The 2011 ban on niqabs was just a stepping stone for the government to further exercise their power over religion. The French government’s constant scapegoat of secularism really brings into question the true intentions of those in power. While the country is secular, there is no respect for all religions. The bans and policies passed over the years have exclusively attacked those of Islamic faith. One of the most recent bans, the ban on hijabs in sports, is obviously just a strike on young Muslim girls. These women have become used to wearing a hijab and for them it is a normal part of life. For the French government to claim that hijabs and other head coverings are dangerous in sports, it is blatant disrespect and it is jarring to see France once again have no sympathy for the millions of Muslims who live there. With the French Football Federation’s decision to not observe stoppage time during their games during Ramadan, it is very clearly another reason to target Muslims in the league. Actions taken by soccer leagues in the United States and England to accommodate those participating in Ramadan are further proof of that.