Full list of Premier League games that will pause for…

Full list of Premier League games that will pause for fasting players during Ramadan

Upcoming Premier League matches will be paused to allow Muslim players to break their fast during Ramadan.

A number of Premier League stars are expected to abstain from eating or drinking during daylight hours during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Ramadan is considered as one of the holiest months for Muslims and is marked by a period of fasting.

This year, Ramadan started on the evening of March 22 and is expected to conclude on the evening of April 20 or 21. As such, a number of evening matches - such as Everton's 1-1 draw against Tottenham on Monday - will be paused to allow players to break their fast.

Monday's game was paused in the 26th minute to allow those who are fasting to take on energy supplements and drink fluids.

Although sunset was before kick-off at Goodison Park on Monday, both sets of players and the referee David Coote agreed their would be a break in play ahead of the game. That allowed three Everton players - Abdoulaye Doucoure, Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye - to take on supplements and fluids.

Premier League games impacted by the pause will not be stopped at an exact time. There will be a pre-agreed target time and the referee will stop play at the earliest convenient moment, such as when the ball goes out of play.

Wesley Fofana was allowed to break his fast during a game between Leicester and Southampton in April 2021 (Getty Images)

Furthermore, not every evening game during Ramadan will be paused, as teams and match officials will discuss the matter ahead of the game. Speaking to BBC Sport last month, Everton midfielder Doucoure explained the importance of Ramadan.

The Mali international said, "I fast every day. I don't miss any days. Sometimes playing football has been hard because Ramadan has been in the summer and during pre-season. But I have always been lucky to practise Ramadan and there have never been problems with my physical condition - I am grateful for that."

There will be more than 13 hours of sunlight on Tuesday in the UK. Speaking to Mirror Football last month, Crystal Palace's head of sports medicine Dr Zafar Iqbal said, "This poses certain challenges for footballers and professional athletes.

"You’ve got to be training to a high level and the main things you’re concerned about are optimising your performance, hydration, nutrition, sleep, training and recovery."

Iqbal added, "The key thing is to have an open communication. I've heard of some players being concerned they may not have the support of their manager or the medical/science team, so they’ve hidden the fact they are fasting because they’ve been worried about being judged or not picked."