“The club are helping me and all the others so much,” Zouma told the official club website. “They are always here for us and willing to give us extra drinks, special food and anything else we need, and the Club are very supportive which I’m very proud of.
“Ramadan isn’t just about fasting, but it’s also about having more family time and getting away from bad habits – such as being on your phone, watching TV – and [instead] having big meals together. You see a lot of people you haven’t seen for a long time and that’s a massive part of it as well.”
Zouma added that West Ham’s commitment to strengthening ties between the club, players and its community during Ramadan has been exceptional, especially in their support of Friday prayers, the most important day of the week for Muslims.
“They’re very supportive [with Friday prayers] and it’s very important,” he said. “We have the Club Imam [Shaykh Khalil] come in on a Friday to pray. I’m very proud to be part of a club that supports us in every way and we can protect our religion in the best way possible.”
Arsenal and Manchester United were among other Premier League clubs who opened their facilities to host an Iftar event during Ramadan.
At Emirates Stadium over 100 guests joined first-team star Mohamed Elneny, to break their fast before welcome the unveiling of a newly opened multi-faith prayer room for players at the ground.
Elneny also explained to Arsenal’s followers on social media the wider meaning of Ramadan.
Managers in Fantasy Premier League can now start to finalise their chip plans for the remainder of the season after the confirmation of a Double Gameweek 35 (DGW35) for Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
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