Premier League sensation, Mohammed Salah faces a religious dilemma if Liverpool reach the Champions League final. Salah is a practising Muslim and the Islamic festival of Ramadan, which requires fasting during daylight hours for a month, begins on May 15 — ten days before the Kiev showdown.
Shawki Allam, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, has given permission to Salah and his international team-mates in the Egyptian squad to postpone their fasting in the days building up to the World Cup.
But Salah and his fellow Muslims in the Liverpool dressing room — Sadio Mane and Emre Can — will have a decision to make if the Reds reach the final: risk their physical condition by denying themselves food and drink, or fail to observe “sawm” (fasting during Ramadan), one of the five pillars of Islam, for the sake of football.
And there is no reason to believe Salah, whose name means “worship” in Arabic, will go against his faith.
He admitted in 2014 he had found observing Ramadan difficult to combine with pre-season training at Chelsea.
Salah said: “Ramadan was a bit difficult for me because we had two training sessions every day, the weather was very hot and I played in every game
“I wasn’t even able to drink water until 9.30pm. Although I am used to it, it’s finished now and I can eat and drink as normal.
“When you train twice a day, your energy levels drop by the second session, but it means a lot to me so I’m very happy and I feel good.”
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp revealed in an interview with Channel 4 News how Salah, Mane and Can maintain their faith while being professional footballers.
Klopp said: “Salah is a Muslim. He’s doing all the things that Muslims do.
“Before a game, washing procedures and stuff like that. “We come a minute or two minutes early in the dressing room so that he can be ready for the game. It’s him, Sadio and Emre Can.”
