US football players now allowed to break Ramadan fast during games

Major League Soccer in the US will allow players who fast during Ramadan to break their fast during game stoppage after sunset.

The move comes after years of players having to wait until the end of the game after they'd been fasting since sunrise.

"The leaguewide ‘Drinks Break’ policy is a shift from years past, when Muslim players were expected to wait until halftime or after the game to break their fasts," according to a report by Religion News Service. 

Now, referees can briefly have stoppage during evening games with Muslim players. This occurred earlier this month, when a game between the Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake had two players that were fasting for the Muslim holy month.

During stoppage, Mohamed Farsi and Steven Moreira, both with the Columbus Crew, "knelt on the sideline, eating pitted dates and sipping sports drinks," according to RNS.

Moreira tweeted his appreciation for the new policy, writing, "Thank you for having this respect for our religion."

This new policy in the US comes as a England's Premier League and English Football League have started implementing similar measures to accommodate Muslim players. The US National Women’s Soccer League has also implemented a "drinks break" policy during Ramadan.

Former Ghanaian player Lloyd Sam, now a sports commentator, praised the new policy, RNS reported, saying, “In my day, certain guys just had to play through it.”