How does a pro footballer deal with Ramadan?

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is characterized by four weeks of fasting, prayer, reflection and community – and it's observed on an annual basis by Muslims all over the world.

Fasting is a key element of Ramadan and is obligatory for healthy adult Muslims. This means that all eating and drinking is prohibited from dawn to sunset — a potential challenge for many, particularly elite-level athletes.

Community aspect missing

For striker Ahmet Arslan of German third division side Dynamo Dresden, this challenge is compounded by another problem at this time of year: solitude. 

"It's very sad for me that my family isn't here," Arslan told DW during a recent visit to Dynamo's training facility. "It does upset me, when I'm sat there alone in the evening, eating by myself.

"Ramadan is usually something you'd celebrate with your family, where you'd all come together to break your fast and spend time with one another," he said. "That's not really possible as a footballer."

Arslan, currently on loan to Dresden from Bundesliga 2 outfit Magdeburg, is apart from his family, who live nearly 500 kilometers (311 miles) away in Lübeck, in northern Germany. He is alone in another sense, too. He's the only player in the Dynamo squad observing the fast, a situation he's become accustomed to coping with over the years.

"I've never had a teammate fasting alongside me at any point during my playing career," he said.

"I know that [former Magdeburg teammate Mohammed El Hankouri] is currently fasting, so I wish him strength, but it's never lined up so that I had a teammate I could do it together with."

Relative latecomer to annual fast

Fasting isn't the habit of a lifetime for Arslan, either. It wasn't until relatively recently that he began to engage earnestly with religion, practicing his faith as a matter of priority throughout the year.

"Of course I tried [fasting] as a kid when my parents were doing it, but my own consciousness unfortunately developed a little bit later," the 29-year-old explained. "Five years ago was the first time that I committed to Ramadan while still playing football."

To the uninitiated, it might seem that a career as a professional athlete would be a difficult thing to pursue during Ramadan. Given the importance of nutrition, the obligation to forego food and drink during daylight hours for an entire month might be considered a problem. 

"You would expect a small dip in performance," Michael Bata, Dynamo Dresden's team doctor, told DW.

"When your body is lacking nutrients in daytime, muscle retention takes priority over muscle growth."

Bata and the rest of the staff don't have the luxury of drawing on extensive experience with Muslim players during Ramadan. Last season, during a previous spell with Dynamo, Arslan was the first footballer in Bata's care to take part in the fast. 

'Drop in performance' not a given

The medical staff at the club thus have much to learn from the player, despite themselves being tasked with his well-being. They rely on Arslan to prioritize and monitor his own health, alerting them in the case of any worries — and are confident in his ability to look after himself.

"It's not a given that anyone fasting during Ramadan must suffer a [significant] drop in performance," the doctor said.

"Many people around the world take part in the fast and continue to practice sports, and although professional sport is something else, it's not as if the entire Muslim world puts professional sport on hold during Ramadan."

'Everyone making sure I am OK'

Despite his medical team's lack of experience, Arslan feels a deep sense of acceptance and accommodation from his club.

"We'd normally eat at 6 p.m. when we travel to away games, but the staff here organized it for me so that we could all eat together at 8 p.m." he said. "That's not something that I expect, but it shows me that everyone here is concerned with making sure I'm OK."

That feeling of forthcoming tolerance and celebrated diversity is also something the player feels more broadly in the world of football.

"If we had an evening match coming up and my club went to the referee beforehand to ask if we could interrupt the game so that I could have a quick drink and a bite to eat to break my fast, I don't think there'd be a second of doubt about the referee saying yes," he said.

"Football is about as [accommodating] as can be."

Edited by: Chuck Penfold