Wesley Fofana thanks teammates and opponents after breaking Ramadan fast during game

The French defender has played three matches during the annual observance

Jack Rathborn
Tuesday 27 April 2021 11:45 BST
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Wesley Fofana of Leicester in action against West Brom
Wesley Fofana of Leicester in action against West Brom (Getty)

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Wesley Fofana has thanked his Leicester City teammates, the Premier League and Crystal Palace players for permitting him to break his Ramadan fast during Monday night's game.

The French defender, a devout Muslim, is taking part in the annual Islamic tradition, which involves a month of fasting.

Muslims give up food and drink between set hours, taking place before sunrise and after sunset.

This made preparation for Monday's game particularly difficult for Fofana, though he was permitted to break fast at 8:17pm in the UK.

The centre-back opted to take a drink 34 minutes into the match at the King Power Stadium, with Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita happy to wait before taking a goal kick.

And the 20-year-old has subsequently tweeted his appreciation towards his fellow professionals.

He said: "Just wanted to thank the Premier League as well as Crystal Palance, Vicente Guaita, all the Foxes for allowing me to break my fast tonight in the middle of the game. That's what makes football wonderful."

It is the third game Fofana has played during Ramadan this year, with Brendan Rodgers full of praise for his defender following the win over West Brom on Thursday.

“He’s fine. He’s a young player in the middle of Ramadan, so he’s not eating during the day,” Rodgers said. “It’s remarkable.

“If you think of his performance at the weekend in an FA Cup semi-final, where he hasn’t eaten all day and then he had first taste of food with 15 minutes to go, and then the same today, with an 8pm kick-off, he’s not eaten all day or drank and he can still perform to that level.”

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