Football Association Approves Game Breaks for Athletes During Ramadan

The Football Association has issued an approval allowing professional football matches in the country to pause temporarily, enabling athletes to drink water and eat during the fasting month. The Football Association of Thailand approved competition management to temporarily pause games, allowing Muslim athletes to break their fast, drink water, and eat during Ramadan, in line with religious practices and considering the health and well-being of athletes. Guidelines for those involved and referees allow for temporary suspension of matches after sunset (after breaking the fast) to enable Muslim athletes to drink water and eat. The guidelines specify two key points: 1) Breaks are only permitted in matches where players from both clubs are Muslim, with clubs required to notify competition controllers in advance, and 2) Referees have the authority to determine the timing and duration of water breaks according to competition rules, with match time to be added to compensate for the break.