Sixty Seconds That Shamed the Stands
When a brief pause for Ramadan exposed the small-mindedness echoing from the terraces.
Elland Road has heard fury before. It has shaken with tribal thunder and righteous anger. Last night it managed something smaller, meaner.
A minute. That was all it took.
A short, league-approved pause so three footballers could take water and a little sustenance after a day of fasting for Ramadan. Rayan Cherki, Omar Marmoush, and Rayan Ait Nouri had done what countless Muslims do each year: balance faith and daily life with quiet discipline. The reason was spelt out on the big screen. No mystery, no subterfuge.
The response was boos.
Not confusion. Not impatience. Boos.
Pep Guardiola called for respect for diversity. It shouldn’t be a daring plea in 2026. The protocol has existed for years. The break came at a natural stoppage. No advantage sought, none gained. They drank, they swallowed a few vitamins, they played on. They won.
And still the jeering rolled down from the stands, as if sixty seconds of basic consideration were an assault on the game itself.
I was disappointed and angered by the boos, but in this world, not surprised. We’ve made a habit of mistaking intolerance for strength. It’s easier to sneer than to understand. Easier to divide than to share space.
Football loves to wrap itself in the language of community. Community demands maturity. It asks that we recognise the game belongs to more than one creed, more than one colour, more than one tradition.
If a brief pause for faith provokes outrage, then the problem lies not with those observing Ramadan. It lies with those who see respect as surrender.
Sixty seconds. That was the test. Too many failed it.
I'm not a City fan. I'm not a Leeds fan. I'm not Muslim. I'm Liverpool through and through. I had the game on with no real skin in the game, (other than it would be so so funny for Arsenal to come 2nd again, in supposedly a "one horse race" 🫣🤣) was just looking up here and there, until I heard booing, and realised what was happening. I suddenly felt like I had a light blue shirt on! I SO wanted City to win that game, our biggest rivals for over a decade, but that didn't matter, principles and what's right mattered. I'd never really thought about Ramadan and it's effect on "Sports people" until my ignorance was shattered when we bought Mo Salah, and it was mentioned during his first, record-breaking season with Liverpool, and since then, I've had the utmost respect for Muslim players, of ALL levels.
To have that discipline, will and "sacrifice", (although I'm sure they don't see honouring their faith as sacrifice, that's just my ignorance and lack of anything similarly important in my life, except my family and football!) and STILL perform to the highest level, should be admired by EVERY fan. Whats going to be seen as ridiculous out of all this, is that shameful (or shameless?) viewpoint by those booing yesterday, will be forgotten like it never happened by 99% of those fickle sheep, the SECOND Leeds by a Muslim player. 🤷🤦