Jaouen Hadjam left out of Nantes squad after 'refusing to break Ramadan fast on matchday'

Nantes full-back Jaouen Hadjam was not included in their 19-man squad to face Reims on Sunday after he refused to break Ramadan fast on matchday, say reports in France.

The 20-year-old defender was asked to break the Ramadan fast on the day of their Ligue 1 clash by manager Antoine Kombouare, according to Ouest-France.

Kombouare has previously been vocal about his stance on Muslim players during the Islamic holy month. Back in 2009, when he was manager of Paris Saint-Germain, Kombouare said the following in a press conference.

“I have a very simple rule. There’s no problem with players fasting for Ramadan during the week. But on matchday, it is forbidden.

"Those who do Ramadan on a gameday will stay at home. I’m not going to mess with players’ health, or put their teammates in trouble. When you don’t eat all day, it becomes complicated.“

Hadjam reportedly 'refused' to break the Ramadan fast and was therefore left out of the squad to face Reims.

Ouest-France add that the Algeria international "would agree to break it when the team travels, but not for home games” and that other Muslim players in the Nantes’ squad had agreed to break their fast today [Sunday].

Earlier this week, The France Football Federation sent an email to all referees in France to remind them that they are not permitted to pause games to allow Muslim players to break their fast for Ramadan.

The controversial decision comes after the Premier League and the English Football League encouraged referees in England to find a natural pause in play during evening games.

France, meanwhile, will not follow allow players to break their fast, according to L'Equipe.

The email reads: "Football does not take into account the political, religious, ideological, or syndical [trade unions] considerations of its actors" and that "it is up to all of the parties involved to make sure it is respected."

Breaking | Antoine Kombouaré has left full-back Jaouen Hadjam out of today’s squad to face Reims, as the player did not accept the manager’s request to stop fasting for Ramadan on matchday, report Ouest-France. More follows.

— Get French Football News (@GFFN) April 2, 2023

Nice manager Didier Digard compared France's Ramadan situation to the Premier League, claiming the 'English are more open-minded'.

He said: "The English are more open-minded than us about this, and they always were.

"We support them as best as possible and they are closely monitored in terms of food of hydration. They do it out of conviction and it makes things a lot easier," the former Middlesbrough player added.

"We don’t ask them any question. We judge players on their performances, not according to whether they fast or not."

The holy month started on March 23 and will run through April, with Muslim players in England allowed to break their fast during matches. They will be given time to eat and drink.

Referees in England have been advised to identify who will be fasting ahead of kick-off and agree a suitable time to pause the game.