Referees in France controversially told NOT to pause games during Ramadan

The France Football Federation (FFF) have sent an email to all referees in France to remind them that they are NOT permitted to pause games to allow Muslim players to break their fast for Ramadan.

The controversial decision comes after the Premier League and the English Football League have encouraged referees in England to find a natural pause in play during evening games.

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• Premier League to introduce breaks for Muslims players to break Ramadan fasts in upcoming fixtures

But France will not follow allow players to break their fast, according to L'Equipe.

The email reads: "Football does not take into account the political, religious, ideological, or syndical [trade unions] considerations of its actors" and that "it is up to all of the parties involved to make sure it is respected."

Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring a goal for Liverpool. Image: Alamy

Nice manager Didier Digard compared France's Ramadan situation to the Premier League, claiming the 'English are more open-minded'.

He said: "The English are more open-minded than us about this, and they always were.

"We support them as best as possible and they are closely monitored in terms of food of hydration. They do it out of conviction and it makes things a lot easier," the former Middlesbrough player added.

"We don’t ask them any question. We judge players on their performances, not according to whether they fast or not."

The holy month started on March 23 and will run through April, with Muslim players in England allowed to break their fast during matches. They will be given time to eat and drink.

Referees in England have been advised to identify who will be fasting ahead of kick-off and agree a suitable time to pause the game.

Premier League stars Mohamed Salah, Riyad Mahrez and N'Golo Kante are among the players who will be fasting for Ramadan.