Former and current players say Ramadan atmosphere combines customs of holy month, culture of sports

The holy month of Ramadan has special customs between religious duty, family communication, and a wonderful atmosphere that breaks the usual routine throughout the year, but this is different for athletes and football players in particular, especially as they are professionals who compete in high-level competitions.This makes the challenge for them greater through the ability to withstand the fatigue of matches, and special training programmes.The star of the Qatari national team and former Al Arabi club, Raed Yaqoub, who spoke to QNA, affirmed that the special programming set for the official competitions by the Qatar Football Association and the Qatar Stars League is ideal in terms of choice of the appropriate dates for the matches, after sufficient time from Iftar.Yaqoub added that Ramadan sports atmosphere is not limited to official matches, as there are tournaments that have become an integral part of the activity during the holy month.Regarding personal habits, the former player and football analyst said he tries every year to set up a programme that guarantees the implementation of all the requirements of the holy month, whether religious, family or sports.Sport in Qatar has turned into a concept or culture that has been greatly enshrined through the trends adopted by the country, which is unique to the pioneering idea of the Sports Day, in addition to the infrastructure that encourages practicing sports, he added.Al Arabi player, Ahmed Suhail, believes that the specificity of the holy month of Ramadan gives the matches played a special taste, considering that competitions in tournaments may become a ritual related to the holy month, despite the great challenges of changing the date of matches to late times, and sometimes reaching midnight.With regard to personal habits, Ahmed Suhail said there is no doubt that the atmosphere during the month of Ramadan is usually wonderful, and there are many special practices that he is used to doing along with the family, friends and which remain in the memory. This is in addition to the commitment to religious duties.The goalkeeper of the Muaither team, Moayad Shannan, who also spoke to QNA, said that playing during the blessed month of Ramadan is completely different, as enthusiasm of the players increases when playing competitive matches, making the atmosphere more wonderful.Shannan explained that the current season is the first in which he is playing matches during the holy month of Ramadan, which makes it somewhat difficult, especially in the beginning, but over time he said he has been able to adapt to the situation of the matches and training.Al Gharafa player, Ahmed al-Janahi, said he believes that the difference between playing competitive matches during the month of Ramadan and other regular days seems to be minimal.Al-Janahi said the impact may be limited to the issue of playing matches late, especially in the beginning. Returning to the regular system will not be easy after Ramadan, he said. Apart from that, playing during Ramadan has many positive advantages.