Sensitive subject in French sport.
While Ramadan will end this year on April 21, and the way to manage fasting in a sporting context has raised debates and controversies over the past two weeks, the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra has given her opinion on the airwaves. from
France Info
this Wednesday morning.
With the desire to be firm, but also generally positive on the issue.
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I think that on this we must be very clear about our principles: secularism, protection of the freedom to believe, not to believe, neutrality of public service, no proselytism.
And at the same time, you have to be both very determined and also non-controversial about how these clear principles are implemented.
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Read alsoFootball and Ramadan: the ban on breaks in France is debated
Obviously, the member of the government immediately continued on the management of this fast in the world of professional football.
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I find that in football, in France, things have gone pretty well so far.
Because, quite pragmatically, players of the Muslim faith were able to break the fast by using break times, by using half-time.
There are pragmatic solutions that can be put in place.
I remember that, in Ligue 1, as in Ligue 2, and more generally in amateur sport, since the federation expressed itself by recalling the terms of its statutes on the neutrality of places of practice and competition.
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As for the position, for example, of Nantes coach Antoine Kombouaré, who has decided to rule out players refusing to break the Ramadan fast on match days, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra plays the card of benevolent neutrality.
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These are coaching decisions that it is not for me to comment on.
I think there is a form analysis, how the participation of these players compares against other players in the team.
We have seen that a Benzema has performed very well, so this is relative, depends on the athletes.
And there too I think that we have to trust the actors to find the best solutions on these subjects.
I find that the framework of French secularism has shown that it gives the
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