Sadio Mane admits that playing football during the holy month of Ramadan is a difficult task, but has praised Liverpool for making it as easy as they possibly can.
The Senegal international is a devout Muslim along with fellow forward Mohamed Salah, and is observing Ramadan, which began on April 2 and will run until the celebration of Eid on May 2. Muslims around the world observe the practice of fasting during daylight hours, meaning no food or fluids are consumed during this time in order to cleanse the soul and mind.
Since the start of the holy month, both Mane and Salah have played in all seven Liverpool matches, across three competitions as the club's bid for an unprecedented quadruple has gone on. And the two have remained in fine form, particularly Mane who has scored five times in those fixtures, including two in the FA Cup semi-final with Manchester City at Wembley.
That game was a 3.30pm kick-off in the middle of the spring sunshine and may have presented an obvious problem, particularly with the high-pressing approach Jurgen Klopp implements. But Mane has opened up on how the flexibility of his boss and his ability to adapt training schedules to their needs has helped the players no end, with clear communication flowing from squad to captain Jordan Henderson and ultimately to the manager himself.
“It’s not easy because playing and training during Ramadan is not easy at all,” Mane told beIN Sports. “But before Ramadan we tried to speak with the captain and to tell the boss that maybe we could change the schedule to train in the morning.
“That’s easier for us and if you train in the morning you have time to rest and go home, it’s going to be tough if not because if you train at like two or three as before, it’s going to be tough. The coach said yes and that has made things easier and we’re trying to do our best.”
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Mane, who turned 30 during the month of Ramadan, revealed that matchdays throw up fresh issues when it comes to getting the correct nutrients on board, a problem that Liverpool’s head of nutrition Mona Nemmer looks to solve.
“It’s not easy, game day is something else during Ramadan…it’s tough,” he added. “At Liverpool they try to make everything easier for us. We speak with our nutritionist, especially before the game, she makes everything easier for us and makes sure we can do our Ramadan.”
Clubs across the Premier League are offered support from Muslim Chaplains in Sports (MCS), a group set up to help guide elite clubs in terms of tailoring their training and match days around players that are fasting.
MCS managing director Ismail Bhamji told BBC Sport: "Although there is no Islamic ruling for athletes, we provide advice on how they can keep their fasts and discuss whether they qualify for exemptions, such as when they are travelling or are ill. Muslim footballers come from a varying array of backgrounds and we have to find solutions that would work for all to practise their faith.”
