Playing football during Ramadan isn’t as hard as it seems
The Home United shot stopper believes playing professional sport during the month of Ramadan, is not as much of an obstacle as it has been made out.
During the Muslim month of Ramadan, followers are not allowed to eat or drink between Dawn and Dusk and while the Malaysian league took a break, the S-League continued as normal with players training and playing at full pelt, unable to eat or drink until the evening.
Shahril Jantan, of Home United believes the issue is over complicated, as it’s something the players have been doing for many years.
Speaking to Goal Singapore, he said: “For most of us it’s not as hard as it looks as we have been doing this for the whole of our careers, even in our youth days.
“It is definitely a challenge to fast and train with the same intensity but it builds up our mentality at the same time.
“Coach Lee [Lim Saeng] and his coaching staff have also played a big part in adjusting the timing of our training sessions and the club has been supportive, and has expressed their appreciation at the effort the players put in during this whole month.”
Coach Alex Weaver believes that the extra effort and strength required to work at full capacity during fasting adds mental toughness to his players: ”
“You have got to respect these boys,our schedule did not change during this time and they gave their all despite not being able to take water breaks during training.
“In fact, I feel that it builds up their character and strength.”