Leeds United Fixtures Prompt Club to Demand Respect After Ramadan Booing
Leeds United paused play at Elland Road to allow players observing Ramadan to break their fast, and the club condemned boos from some fans as “disappointing and unexpected. ” Sunday at 5: 56 p. m. ET, the club said a similar pause will take place in its leeds united fixtures FA Cup tie with Norwich and urged supporters to show respect.
Elland Road Pause and the 78‑Second Delay
During last weekend’s Premier League match with Manchester City, play was halted for a 78-second delay to let Muslim players take fluids and energy supplements, and messages explaining the pause were shown on the stadium big screen. Despite that, loud boos were audible during the interruption, which Leeds described as “disappointing and unexpected. “
Leeds United Fixtures Will Include Pause With Joël Piroe Expected
Leeds confirmed another break will be held during Sunday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie with Norwich, and the club expects its striker Joël Piroe to participate in the protocol. The pause is tied to sunset in Leeds at 5: 56 p. m., which the club said would fall around the 75th minute of the match, so fans at upcoming leeds united fixtures have been asked to respect the stoppage.
Club Lists Mitigating Circumstances After Manchester City Match
In a lengthy statement, Leeds listed four mitigating circumstances to explain why some supporters reacted the way they did: it was the first time a game at Elland Road had been paused for Ramadan, the club said it should have communicated more proactively beforehand, and the big-screen explanation was not visible for about 25% of the stadium, including the South Stand. The statement also pointed to a prior stoppage at the Etihad Stadium in November and noted that some players appeared confused on the field during the interruption.
Leeds made clear they “explicitly condemn any supporters in the home or away sections who actively boo players observing Ramadan and use the protocol in place to break their fast, ” and the club concluded its statement by saying, “Football still has a long way to go in eradicating stains on the game, including racism, homophobia, tragedy chanting and the sickening Jimmy Savile taunts our own supporters are subjected to at every match from opposition fans. “
For clarity, the club said the stoppage allows players from both sides to take fluids and energy supplements in line with an agreed protocol. That protocol was used in the Manchester City fixture and will be used again in the FA Cup match, with the pause expected at about the 75th minute this Sunday.
Sunday at 5: 56 p. m. ET is the next confirmed event: the FA Cup fifth-round match with Norwich will be paused at that time to permit players observing Ramadan to break their fast. The club has urged supporters to show respect during that brief stoppage.
