The Football and Society Podcast

The challenges of being a Muslim football player in Europe

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Episode notes

In 1992, there was just one Muslim player in the English Premier League. Twenty years later, there were 40, and Muslim players like Mohammed Salah are now counted among the superstars of Europe’s most lucrative domestic league. Muslims’ participation is not without complication, however.

Professor Uriya Shavit studied the experiences of Muslim players in Europe, and published his findings in the Soccer and Society journal in 2019. Muslims’ participation in football, both as players and as spectators, is complicated by fatwas within Islamic jurisdiction. These are formal rulings or interpretations on a point of Islamic law given by a qualified legal scholar.

Certain fatwas rule that Muslims should not compete in sports for money, should not break fasting in order to take part, and should not shower in communal areas with certain areas of the body exposed, all of which is problematic for Muslims wishing to participate.

Even in the world of professional football, several incidents recently have illustrated that difficulties remain for Muslim players. Ultimately, however, football is effectively influencing Islamic norms, by encouraging new contextualization of prophetic traditions to legitimize playing and watching the game.

How do players navigate often contradictory fatwas?
To what extent may the World Cup in Qatar change critical perceptions of the game within some sections of Islam, and of Muslims' involvement in it among non-Muslims?
How do players continue to perform during Ramadan with its requirement to fast?

...all this and more in the 20th episode of the Football and Society podcast.

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Each week, Ash, Chris and Norman explore societal issues through the lens of the beautiful game.

From the ethics of gambling sponsorship to what a stadium move means for fans, we’ll be covering it all each week with expert guests from the worlds of sports journalism and sociology.