Impact of Ramadan on physical performance in professional soccer players

Objective

Ramadan is a period of daylight abstention from liquid or solid nutrients. As sports continue to be scheduled, an understanding of the effects of Ramadan on Muslim athletes is warranted.

Design

Two Algerian professional soccer teams (55 men) were studied. Field tests of physical and soccer performance were collected before, at the end and 2 weeks after Ramadan in 2004. Players were queried on sleeping habits and personal perception of training and match performance.

Setting

Field setting at club training ground.

Main outcome measures

Performance on fitness and skill tests.

Results

Performance declined significantly (p<0.05) for speed, agility, dribbling speed and endurance, and most stayed low after the conclusion of Ramadan. Nearly 70% of the players thought that their training and performance were adversely affected during the fast.

Conclusions

The phase shift of food intake and disruption of sleep patterns affect actual and perceived physical performance. Islamic athletes need to explore strategies that will maximise performance during Ramadan.Soccer''s popularity crosses geographical, political and religious boundaries. One of the major religions of the world is Islam, with over one billion people in multiple nations living under Islamic laws where soccer is one of the major spectator and participant sports.The major religious period of the Islamic calendar is Ramadan, when healthy post‐pubescent Muslims fast, without damaging their health, from sunrise to sunset for the 4‐week period. Muslims are invited to abstain from all types of liquid or solid nutrient intake as well as all unhealthy or aggressive behaviour during this period of purification, internal meditation and regeneration.Physiological and clinical effects of Ramadan on hormonal, metabolic and behavioural responses have been the focus of study. Limited data on physical performance show that submaximal factors (ie, heart rate) are affected little whereas maximal work declines.¹ Because football is contested internationally and matches continue to be scheduled during Ramadan, our aim was to learn how Ramadan affects the performance of competitive soccer players.