Nantes player Jaouen Hadjam was left out of the squad that lost to Reims after refusing to break his Ramadan fast
In a battle between faith and duty, Nantes Algerian defender, Jaouen Hadjam, has chosen faith after defying coach Antoine Kombouare’s ultimatum to break his fast or miss out on the game against Reims in Ligue 1.
Algerian defender suffers consequences of staying true to faith
Hadjam was left out of the Nantes squad completely after making it clear that he would not break his fast under any circumstances, even if it meant he could not play for Nantes.
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According to French outlet Ouest-France, Hadjam, who recently pledged allegiance to Algeria, refused Kombouare’s orders not to fast on game days, and left his coach with no choice but to exclude him from the team.
Kombouare has been vocal about his stance on fasting during matchdays and had previously stated that he did not want his players fasting as it put their health at risk and also compromised their teammates who were supposedly going to be in better physical condition.
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While serving as manager of Paris Saint-Germain in 2009, Kombouare said, “I have a very simple rule. There’s no problem with players fasting for Ramadan during the week. But on matchday, it is forbidden.”
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Going further to state the reasons for his conviction, the Nantes coach said, Those who do Ramadan on a gameday will stay at home. I’m not going to mess with players’ health or put their teammates in trouble. When you don’t eat all day, it becomes complicated.“
Nantes disgraced in Hadjam’s absence
Ouest-France also reported that Hadjam was the only one of Nantes’ Muslim contingent to defy the head coach.
Having non-fasting players did not help Nantes in any way as they were humiliated at home by Reims in a 3-0 reverse.
The loss extends Nantes’ run of games in Ligue 1 without a win to six, as they continue to flirt with relegation.
Hadjam’s exclusion from the team comes just days after Ligue 1’s controversial ruling which does not allow players to take time during games to break their fast in the Muslim holy month.
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