Soccer coach balances his work and faith

COACHING young people, community cohesion officer Abdul Basit

WITH Ramadan underway, thousands of local Muslims are observing the fast which began on Monday.

Ramadan, which lasts for 30 days, is a season in which Muslims are expected to learn self-control by abstaining from food and drink from dawn until dusk.

With this year’s fast lasting about 16 hours a day, Reporter USMA RAJA went along to meet football coach Abdul Basit to find out how it affects his day to day life

FASTING during Ramadan is an act of worship of great spiritual, moral and social significance for Muslims.

The Islamic calendar is based on a lunar cycle. Therefore, Ramadan begins 10 or 11 days earlier each year on the Gregorian calendar.

This means, it takes Ramadan about 33 years to move through the seasons from January to December.

And for the next 12 years, the holy month will fall in British Summer Time when Muslims will find themselves fasting for longer during the day.

Abdul Basit, of Westwood, is a community cohesion officer for Premiership side Bolton Wanderers, and part of his role is to coach teams in the evenings.

He explained what Ramadan meant to him: “Ramadan to me is the holiest month of the year, and it means instilling self-discipline and respecting the plentiful food we have.

“We take food and drink for granted, for example. I have been to places to Bangladesh and South Africa where people don’t have a choice like us.

“During this month, I will be getting up at about 4am to keep the fast followed by my morning prayers at 7am.”

With coaching going late into the night, he breaks his fast with a drink only and then eats after the game at about 10.30pm, when most people are getting ready for bed.

He said: “My club is aware of Ramadan, and I have delivered cultural workshops so that everybody is aware of it.

“My manager has also asked my colleagues to show courtesy by not eating in front of me.

“We have a prayer room at the club, so I can take time out to perform my prayers.

“With fasting, I am unable to do normal exercise so I haven’t been as fit during matches.

“I do warm-up techniques, and usually I would join in the games but this time I haven’t been able to do so.”

The 32-year-old runs football sessions up to four times a day, as well as the evening matches, and some of his players are Muslims.

He said: “Some of the Muslim players in the professional team have asked for time off during Ramadan.

“They will play some games but not all because they won’t be as fit.

“At Bolton we are doing Sports Nutrition and Science, where we are measured before and after the game.

“During the games the players lose a lot of fluid through sweating and they have to make sure that is replaced. You can’t leave until you have the right intake.”

The father-of-two added: “Last year, the FA found that Muslim footballers, who played in Sunday leagues at amateur level found it difficult to play while fasting, so it gave them time off during Ramadan. However, they must play in the professional games.

“If I’m struggling to coach then I always have another coach on standby.

“Fasting is always physically draining but this year it is a bit harder because we are fasting for 16 hours a day.

“But it is only once a year and I believe it makes you a better person at the end of it.”