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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has criticised fans that booed the pausing of their match with Leeds to allow Muslim players to break their Ramadan fast.
The Premier League encounter at Elland Road was briefly halted in the 13th minute after sunset with Muslims around the world observing the Islamic holy month in which they do not eat or drink in daylight hours.
Sections of the home support appeared to boo the stoppage with a message confirming the reason for the pause shown on the big screen.
Muslim players Omar Marmoush, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki were part of the Manchester City side that won 1-0 to keep the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the table, with Abdukodir Khusanov on the bench.
And Guardiola suggested that the booing was deeply disappointing.
“It is a modern world, right?” Guardiola said. “[You see] what is happening in the world today. Respect religion, diversity, that is the point. The Premier League says you can have one or two minutes, you can have for the [fasting] players to do it [break their fast]. It is what it is, unfortunately.
“We took on a little bit of vitamins because [Rayan] Cherki, [Rayan] Ait-Nouri did not eat today. No more than that. The question is, can they do it or not? What is the problem?”
Since the procedure was first introduced in 2021, teams with Muslim players are able to agree with the referee to find a natural pause in a match for those players to eat some food or replenish themselves with energy gels.
“They follow this religious tradition. We have good nutritionists and they adapt to what the team needs,” explained Guardiola in his pre-match briefing ahead of the Leeds game. “We cannot adapt the schedule for the Premier League [kick-off] times and I think they are used to it – they are not young and have been playing [for] many years during this period.
“For the players I think it is not new. Both Rayans, Omar and Khusa, it is not the first time for [observing] Ramadan and they know perfectly how to handle it.”