Simple Acts Make Big Impacts
Referee pauses football (soccer) game to allow Muslim players to break their fast. Read the news report here.
WOW… something so simple, yet so profound just happened during a football (soccer) game, leaving a ripple across the world. A German referee by the name of Mattias Jollenbeck paused a game last week to allow Muslim football players to break their fast with a quick water break during Ramadhan (Ramadhan is the Islamic holy month observed by Muslims during which strict fasting from sunrise to sunset is practiced). There was no impact to the game, other than a player was able to get a sip of water but what a powerful gesture during the most popular sport in the world! Imagine playing soccer for potentially 90 minutes straight on an empty stomach and not even a drop of water to sip on… well, this referee decided to show his support for the personal practices of Muslim players. Such acts are rare in sports. Back in 2019, a team of women’s football players were praised for their kindness and compassion after stopping their game to provide cover to an opponent to allow her privacy while she fixed her hijab that had slipped off.
This was the first time in its history that a German official has provided this level of support. Officially, referees are not provided any general instructions for religious observations but the German Referee Committee says that they support their referees allowing such breaks. These small actions speak volumes to the personal branding and the powerful impact it can make for others as well as modelling supportive behaviour. How big could this small action be you ask, well this referee could rewind the brands of referees around the world! Personally, as a female soccer player, I felt inspired by the fact that the referee made the effort and took action to not only support Muslim players but to respect a different culture from his own and I hope to see other referees follow suit soon.
Note: Football (Soccer) is the most popular sport in the world with over 240 million registered players across 200 countries.