When the Premier League started in 1992, it
included just one footballer known to be
Muslim, Tottenham's Spanish midfielder
Nayim. England's top division now features
40 Muslim players and they are having a
significant effect on the culture of the
game.
On 5 February, 2012, Newcastle United
played Aston Villa at St James' Park and one
moment symbolised the impact Muslim
players were having on the Premier League.
After 30 minutes, Demba Ba scored for the home
side. He raced to the corner flag and was joined
by Senegalese compatriot Papiss Cisse. The two
devout Muslims then sank to their knees in
prayer.
The growing influx of Muslim players has been
fuelled by the internationalisation of football.
Scouts have spread their nets wider in the search
for new talent and the Premier League has
become a much more diverse place.
Young men with origins in remote villages of west
Africa or tough estates in Paris have become
global stars.
They may have found wealth and fame playing for
English clubs, but many still hold on to something
that is rooted in their cultural identity, something
that guides them and comforts them when the
going gets tough - their Islamic faith.
When a player of the calibre of Ba, who left
Newcastle last year to join Chelsea, says he is
serious about his religion, some might argue
clubs cannot afford not to listen.
And there is a genuine willingness, on the part of
managers and clubs, to understand and
accommodate the religious needs of their players.
Muslim footballers are provided with halal food,
have the option to shower separately from the
rest of the team and are given time and space for
prayer.
Until recently, all Premier League players named
man of the match were awarded a bottle of
champagne.
Yet for Muslims, alcohol is forbidden. So when
Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure politely
refused to accept his award on religious
grounds during a television interview, the
competition organisers were forced to sit up and
take notice.
Champagne was phased out and now all players
receive a small trophy instead.
When Liverpool won the League Cup final in
2012, players had the sensitivity to move the
clothes of their team doctor, a devout Muslim, out
of the changing rooms so that alcohol wasn't
sprayed over them.
Yet there are challenges to managing Muslim
players and Ramadan is a particular pressure
point.
How can players who aren't eating or drinking for
up to 18 hours of the day perform at the highest
level over 90 minutes of a game?
Some players insist on fasting every day. Others
may fast during training but not a match day.
Clubs tend to muddle through with some kind of
compromise, but it can't be an easy period for
players or managers.
Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby, 27, says: "Arsenal
would prefer me to not fast, but they understand
this is a special moment for me and they try to
accommodate things to make me better."
Ba, 28, admits he has had some issues with
managers about Ramadan, but says he has been
steadfast.
"Every time I had a manager that was not happy
with it, I've said: 'Listen, I'll do it. If my
performance is still good, I'll keep playing; if it's
bad you drop me on the bench, that's it.'"
Former Stoke striker Mamady Sidibe, 33, insists:
"You have some players who are fasting on a
match day and doing very well, it's no problem. I
make sure that on match day I'm not fasting and
not to give excuses to people."
Ramadan this year ends on 7 August, 10 days
before the start of the Premier League season.
Sponsorship deals have also been a source of
tension. Teams who advertise gambling and pay
day loan companies on their shirts put their
Muslim players in a difficult position, as it means
they are being used to promote activities which
contradict Islamic teaching.
Last month Cisse said he planned to talk to
Newcastle and their new sponsors, Wonga,
because he was worried his Muslim beliefs would
be compromised if he were seen to promote the
company.
Crewe striker Nathan Ellington, 32, who has also
played for Wigan and West Brom, takes the view
that he cannot affect which sponsor his club
chooses.
He said: "I think that's usually out of the hands of
the Muslim. Although he's not allowed to gamble,
that's something you cannot affect really."
Wigan keeper Ali Al-Habsi, 31, agrees: "We are
players and these are things that are coming
from the football club. We can't do anything
about it, we just do our job."
Fans are also getting an education in Muslim
practices.
When manager Alan Pardew suggested Ba's slow
start to the 2011-12 season was due to his
fasting, fans picked up on it and marked every
subsequent goal with a song celebrating how
many goals he had scored since Ramadan, to the
tune of Depeche Mode's Just Can't Get Enough.
Children playing football in the parks of Newcastle
have even been spotted falling to their knees as if
in prayer themselves after scoring a goal.
They may not completely understand what it
means, but it's a sign that Muslim practices are
becoming a more familiar part of popular British
culture.
Watch The Muslim Premier League on BBC1 on
Sunday, 7 July at 12:20 BST or catch it again on
Monday 8 July at 23:35 BST.
included just one footballer known to be
Muslim, Tottenham's Spanish midfielder
Nayim. England's top division now features
40 Muslim players and they are having a
significant effect on the culture of the
game.
On 5 February, 2012, Newcastle United
played Aston Villa at St James' Park and one
moment symbolised the impact Muslim
players were having on the Premier League.
After 30 minutes, Demba Ba scored for the home
side. He raced to the corner flag and was joined
by Senegalese compatriot Papiss Cisse. The two
devout Muslims then sank to their knees in
prayer.
The growing influx of Muslim players has been
fuelled by the internationalisation of football.
Scouts have spread their nets wider in the search
for new talent and the Premier League has
become a much more diverse place.
Young men with origins in remote villages of west
Africa or tough estates in Paris have become
global stars.
They may have found wealth and fame playing for
English clubs, but many still hold on to something
that is rooted in their cultural identity, something
that guides them and comforts them when the
going gets tough - their Islamic faith.
When a player of the calibre of Ba, who left
Newcastle last year to join Chelsea, says he is
serious about his religion, some might argue
clubs cannot afford not to listen.
And there is a genuine willingness, on the part of
managers and clubs, to understand and
accommodate the religious needs of their players.
Muslim footballers are provided with halal food,
have the option to shower separately from the
rest of the team and are given time and space for
prayer.
Until recently, all Premier League players named
man of the match were awarded a bottle of
champagne.
Yet for Muslims, alcohol is forbidden. So when
Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure politely
refused to accept his award on religious
grounds during a television interview, the
competition organisers were forced to sit up and
take notice.
Champagne was phased out and now all players
receive a small trophy instead.
When Liverpool won the League Cup final in
2012, players had the sensitivity to move the
clothes of their team doctor, a devout Muslim, out
of the changing rooms so that alcohol wasn't
sprayed over them.
Yet there are challenges to managing Muslim
players and Ramadan is a particular pressure
point.
How can players who aren't eating or drinking for
up to 18 hours of the day perform at the highest
level over 90 minutes of a game?
Some players insist on fasting every day. Others
may fast during training but not a match day.
Clubs tend to muddle through with some kind of
compromise, but it can't be an easy period for
players or managers.
Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby, 27, says: "Arsenal
would prefer me to not fast, but they understand
this is a special moment for me and they try to
accommodate things to make me better."
Ba, 28, admits he has had some issues with
managers about Ramadan, but says he has been
steadfast.
"Every time I had a manager that was not happy
with it, I've said: 'Listen, I'll do it. If my
performance is still good, I'll keep playing; if it's
bad you drop me on the bench, that's it.'"
Former Stoke striker Mamady Sidibe, 33, insists:
"You have some players who are fasting on a
match day and doing very well, it's no problem. I
make sure that on match day I'm not fasting and
not to give excuses to people."
Ramadan this year ends on 7 August, 10 days
before the start of the Premier League season.
Sponsorship deals have also been a source of
tension. Teams who advertise gambling and pay
day loan companies on their shirts put their
Muslim players in a difficult position, as it means
they are being used to promote activities which
contradict Islamic teaching.
Last month Cisse said he planned to talk to
Newcastle and their new sponsors, Wonga,
because he was worried his Muslim beliefs would
be compromised if he were seen to promote the
company.
Crewe striker Nathan Ellington, 32, who has also
played for Wigan and West Brom, takes the view
that he cannot affect which sponsor his club
chooses.
He said: "I think that's usually out of the hands of
the Muslim. Although he's not allowed to gamble,
that's something you cannot affect really."
Wigan keeper Ali Al-Habsi, 31, agrees: "We are
players and these are things that are coming
from the football club. We can't do anything
about it, we just do our job."
Fans are also getting an education in Muslim
practices.
When manager Alan Pardew suggested Ba's slow
start to the 2011-12 season was due to his
fasting, fans picked up on it and marked every
subsequent goal with a song celebrating how
many goals he had scored since Ramadan, to the
tune of Depeche Mode's Just Can't Get Enough.
Children playing football in the parks of Newcastle
have even been spotted falling to their knees as if
in prayer themselves after scoring a goal.
They may not completely understand what it
means, but it's a sign that Muslim practices are
becoming a more familiar part of popular British
culture.
Watch The Muslim Premier League on BBC1 on
Sunday, 7 July at 12:20 BST or catch it again on
Monday 8 July at 23:35 BST.
