Khaberni - Reactions continued in the English media following the incident of stopping the Manchester City vs Leeds United match, during the 28th round of the English Premier League, which ended with City winning 1-0.
At the 13th minute of the match, there was a brief interruption to allow Muslim Manchester City players to break their fast during Ramadan, which was met with jeers from some Leeds fans in the stands, sparking a wide debate about the protocol in such situations.
Sports critic and former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan criticized the stopping of matches specifically for players to break their fast, arguing that the players were physically fit from the start of the match despite fasting, wondering why not wait until the end of the first half instead of stopping the game?
On the other hand, former French star Emmanuel Petit defended the decision, pointing out that the stoppage does not exceed 30 seconds, a trivial amount of time compared to durations taken by the video assistant referee VAR, which can sometimes extend to six or seven minutes to review an officiating decision.
In some tournaments, like the English Premier League, referees allow a brief stoppage during the match to enable Muslim players to break their fast.
In other competitions, indirect tactical solutions are employed, such as pretending the goalkeeper is injured to provide a quick opportunity for players to break their fast during a game interruption.
Manchester City, led by Spanish coach Pep Guardiola, occupies the second position in the standings with 60 points from 29 matches (18 wins, 6 draws, 5 losses), seven points behind the leader Arsenal who has played an additional match.
On the other hand, Leeds United is in the fifteenth place with 31 points from 29 matches, in a season witnessing a fierce battle across various table positions.
