Lyon's Diawara leaves France U19 squad after being prohibited from practising Ramadan
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Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 21.03.24. | 21:18
The talented midfielder decided to return home due to a ban on fasting imposed by the French Football Federation
Mahamadou Diawara has left Les Bleus' U19 squad, refusing to obey the French Football Federation (FFF) rules, which forbids Muslim players from fasting during Ramadan when training with the national team.
The 19-year-old talented midfielder apparently "did not feel comfortable with the new rules", which are implemented from the U16 level to the senior team. Therefore, he left and returned home to his club side, Lyon, ESPN reports on Thursday.
The FFF confirmed Diawara's return to his club and called Nantes' Dehmaine Tabibou Assoumani as his replacement.
The France Football Federation has prohibited its players from practicing Ramadan during this international break, per @Djaameel_.
— Zach Lowy (@ZachLowy) March 21, 2024
Lyon’s Mahamadou Diawara was sent home after refusing to stop his fast for the eight days of international duty. pic.twitter.com/kpfmLhjO9g
FFF president Philippe Diallo said in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro on Wednesday that he has put in place new rules regarding players fasting for Ramadan while on France duty, arguing that a "principle of neutrality" is written into the organisation's founding statutes and that the measures "ensure that religion does not interfere with an athlete."
The new FFF rules state that players called up by French national teams cannot fast during Ramadan.
Players who observe Ramadan, which began between March 10 and 11 and is expected to end around April 10, will not be able to fast while at the country's Clairefontaine training base and must make up for the fasting days they miss at the end of the religious festival.
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