As a Muslim and an active footballer during my secondary school days,I certainly know how it feels engaged in Ramadan activities and playing football.The game of football has developed over the years and as a right-full back one would expect that I made surging runs down the flanks and delivering crosses as expected of lateral defenders in modern football.But the lethargy,hunger and thirst associated with fasting would not permit such demanding incursions.

  As vigorous as football is and coupled with the sometimes bleak African weather,one needs to be properly nourished and well hydrated to be able to go the mile.Going without food and water for about fourteen hour plus, a day,for twenty nine or thirty days clearly tells how draining the fasting activity is and you will bear with me that enduring a full ninety minutes of a match will virtually be impossible.

 One of the rules of this religious activity is that,aside distant journeying,chronic diseases and old age which permts one to forgo this activity,a two consecutive months penalty will be paid in the case of deliberate avoidance.

 In North Africa where they are predominantly Muslims,their case could be different considering the fact that most of them are fasting and their strength could be at par.The sometimes humid conditions in that region is also of great help in terms of thirst.

 Most of the major leagues have started and Muslims footballers will have to do again without food and water during the day.Don't forget we have Muslim footballers in top notch club in europ,talk of Karim Benzema and Lassana Diara of Real Madrid,Maroune Chamakh of Arsenal and Frederik Kanoute of Sevilla and some if not all are an integral part of their team.The european calender should in a way be drafted for leagues to begin after Ramadan which will go a long way to help muslim footballers.

Happy Ramada and Eid-Mubarak