Reportase.one, Jakarta – Ramadan will end this week. Midfielder Arsenal, Mohamed Elneny, believes that the fasting period can be beneficial for Muslim soccer players. The reason, according to him, is that players can balance faith and demands to produce maximum physical performance on the field.
Ramadan is the holy month in the Islamic calendar. Muslims around the world refrain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset. That clearly can affect the routine of a soccer athlete who must ensure players must be in prime condition at kick-off.
However, Elneny believes there are many other benefits to practicing her faith to the fullest. “For us it’s not a big difference. We are happy because Ramadan comes only 30 days every year and we don’t think too much about how long we will fast,” he was quoted as saying on the club’s website.
“Every footballer when he trains needs to drink. After you finish training, we need food. Ramadan doesn’t give you this opportunity, but it gives you peace that God will be pleased with you, and the respect you will get from people because you don’t make exceptions,” said Elneny.
“When some players fast you can see they score goals and they do well. This tells us fasting is not bad, it’s actually something very good because God is pleased with you and you will do well because God will help you.”
Elneny was well aware of that Ramadan is a difficult phase. However, he also felt that fasting allowed him to cleanse his body and become stronger in the long run. He wants to prove that the lack of nutrition in his body does not reduce his effectiveness during matches.
“You have to be strong in your mind. It’s very good for the body because you have to give it your all. If you have fat or other bad stuff in your body, it will go away. My first Premier League goal came while I was fasting when we played away against Newcastle. My body looks different, I may not be very strong, but God help me,” he said.
“God knows how hard it was but you still did it, and they helped you. Some people might think that because I don’t eat or drink I will be thin, but that’s not the case,” she said Mohamed Elneny.
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source: sport.tempo.co
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