Feb 28, 2026, 09:25 PM
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A first-half stoppage allowing players who are observing Ramadan to break their fast was booed by sections of Leeds United supporters at Elland Road during their Premier League fixture against Manchester City on Saturday with City boss Pep Guardiola calling for "more respect."
Muslims around the world observing the holy month of Ramadan fast from sunrise to sunset with a number of City players taking part.
The boos could be heard in the 13th minute of play, with that time coinciding with the sun setting in west Yorkshire, when the referee put a temporary halt to preceedings so City's trio of Muslim players could break their fast.
Omar Marmoush, Rayan Aït-Nouri and Rayan Cherki took on fluids with Abdukodir Khusanov, another Muslim player at City, on the bench.
And Guardiola spoke of the incident after full-time, saying beliefs and diversity must be respected.
Play was paused at Elland Road as players observing Ramadan were given an opportunity to break their fast. Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
"It's the modern world, right? Look at what happens in the world today," Guardiola said
"You have to respect the beliefs and respect the diversity, that is the point. The Premier League said for the fasting you can [spend] one or two minutes doing that, so the players did it. It is what it is, unfortunately."
Anti-discrimination group Kick It Out have since released a statement, labelling the pause itself an "agreed protocol for several years now."
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"It's massively disappointing that some Leeds United fans booed when Manchester City's players broke their fast during the first half of the match at Elland Road this evening," the group said.
"This was compounded by the fact that an explanation was displayed on a big screen inside the stadium.
"Pausing the game to allow Muslim players to break their fast during Ramadan has been an agreed protocol for several years now. It's an important and visible part of making the game welcoming for Muslim players and communities.
"But as tonight's reaction shows, football still has a long way to go in terms of education and acceptance."
City went on to win the game 1-0 with Antoine Semenyo scoring the only goal of the evening.