France drops youngster from team over refusal to stop Ramadan fasting during tour

France intention to regulate Islam appears to have spilled into football after Olympique Lyonnaise youngster Mahamadou Diawara was excluded from the France Under-19 team after he refused to comply with the decision of French Football Federation not to fast throughout their 8-days team camping.

The European country recently started policies that restrict clerics from coming into France to preach among other policy reviews.

Diawara’s case appears to indicate that no sphere will be spared in the reforms.

This put French Football Federation (FFF) in controversy.

The impression is that it reportedly sending Mahamadou Diawara back to Lyon after he did not participate in fasting during the national team’s gathering.

Diawara was initially called up to the U19 team by Bernard Diomède for the Euro U19 Elite Tour 2024. However, he was seen training with Olympique Lyonnais instead, raising doubts about his status with the French U19 team.

According to sources in France, Diawara’s decision not to fast led to his removal from the squad as he did not comply with the FFF’s stance on players fasting during Ramadan.

Philippe Diallo, the President of the FFF, stated that the federation maintains a neutral position and does not alter training conditions for religious reasons.

RMC Sport attempted to get comments from both the FFF and Lyon regarding Diawara’s situation but did not receive a response.

France has faced criticism in the past for not allowing football players to fast during Ramadan, sparking discussions on freedom and cultural accommodation in the country.

Despite objections, France has not supported the idea of allowing Muslim players to take breaks during matches to break their fast during Ramadan.

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