Ramadan team loses ban appeal

Half of Abraham Moss Warriors FC are Muslims

A junior football team, which was fined and kicked out of a cup competition for refusing to play during the Muslim season of Ramadan, has lost its appeal.

Abraham Moss Warriors under 12s, from Manchester, has had its ban from the Bury and Radcliffe Juniors League upheld following an appeal on Tuesday.

They asked for kick offs to be switched from morning to afternoon so Muslim players could drink after games.

The league had taken disciplinary action which the Lancashire FA upheld.

Team manager June Kelly said "Everyone keeps saying they are trying to encourage more ethnic minorities to take part in football - it's just a joke.

We're just kids and we want to play football John Bull, team captain

Ms Kelly said the team - Muslims make up half of its squad of 16 - was finding it hard to join any of the seven or eight local leagues next season.

"Where are they trying to encourage it if no leagues will take us?"

Player Shazam Afraz said: "Our religion is more important than our sport - we feel quite angry."

Team captain John Bull said: "We're just kids and we want to play football."

The team, from the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester, was kicked out of a cup, docked nine points and fined £250 for failing to play during Ramadan.

They wanted games rearranged to the afternoon because half the team were fasting from food and drink during daylight hours - Muslim team members would not have been able to drink after an early morning match.

Everyone keeps saying they are trying to encourage more ethnic minorities, to take part in football - it's just a joke June Kelly

But the Bury and Radcliffe Juniors League, backed by the Lancashire FA, refused and punished them when they did not play the games last November.

The Lancashire FA said the league was acting within its own rules.

The league switched several fixtures from Sundays to Tuesdays and Fridays but Fridays caused problems as this clashed with the Muslim day of worship.

The club wanted away matches to kick off half an hour later so the Muslim children could have time to get to the matches from Friday prayers.

Nobody from the LFA was available for comment.

The case was also referred to the Football Association's Equity and Ethics Committee in London which is still investigating the issue and said it cannot comment.

However an FA spokesman said that the Manchester FA - which had supported the team's case - was considering setting up a new league with rules taking account of different cultures and beliefs.