The emotional reason why Brighton star blurs out his knees in match photos

Brighton star Jaouen Hadjam has received attention for blurring out his knees and thighs on match photos as part of a religious practice he follows.

Hadjam signed for the Seagulls in the summer from Swiss side Young Boys and has gone on to play seven times, scoring his first Premier League goal in a 2-0 victory against Sunderland.

The left-back has impressed for Fabian Hurzeler's high-flyers and he's recently caught the eye for what he does on his Instagram feed.

Algeria international Hadjam has 373,000 followers on the platform and has posted a serious of snaps in action for Brighton.

However, all of the images - including those in matches against Manchester United and Manchester City - have seen his knees blurred out.

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Plenty of comments on the posts expressed curiosity of the blurring but on TikTok, the 'What the Kit' page explained that the 23-year-old appears to do so in light with the concept of 'Awrah' in Islam.

It refers to Islamic teachings which state that a man should be covered to the navel to the knees and that thighs should also not be on show.

The concept from Islamic scholars is all about modesty, privacy and respect for the body.

This can be difficult for Muslim athletes to follow as they wear shorts. Hadjam has worn compression shorts, something that Ipswich Town defender Issa Diop does regularly.

However, it should be noted that not all players follow the practice. Mo Salah, Riyad Mahrez, Karim Benzema, Rayan Cherki and many others do show their knees as it is very much an individual decision.

Jaouen Hadjam blurs out his knees and thighs on Instagram. Image: Getty

Premier League introduced Ramadan rule to help Muslim footballers

In recent times, the Premier League has shown a greater understanding of the religion of Islam and the challenges it can present to players from a sporting perspective.

Many players observe the holy month of Ramadan, where they do not eat or drink during daylight hours as they show devotion to Allah.

As has been the case for a number of seasons now, Muslim players are allowed to break their fast and refuel during a short period in games typically kicking off at 17:30 on Saturdays and 16:30 on Sundays.

The agreement came in back in 2021 and there was an iconic, uplifting moment where Leicester City's game with Crystal Palace at the King Power Stadium was paused around 30 minutes in

The first instance of it happening was a game between Leicester City and Crystal Palace, with the game halted at a goal-kick around 30 minutes in to allow Wesley Fofana and Cheikhou Kouyate to break their fast.

Fofana, now at Chelsea, paid tribute to all parties - including Vicente Guiata - for allowing him to break his fast.

Taking to social media, the defender wrote: "Just wanted to thank the @premierleague as well as @CPFC, @vguaita13 and all the Foxes for allowing me to break my fast tonight in the middle of the game. That's what makes football wonderful."