Pep Guardiola tells fans to 'respect religion' after Ramadan break booed during Man City's win at Leeds

Pep Guardiola urged fans to "respect religion" after audible boos were heard during a brief stoppage to allow a number of players to end their Ramadan fast in Man City's win at Leeds.

In the 13th minute, when the sun had set at around 5.42pm, there was a 78-second break in play to allow those taking part in daily fasting to take on food and drink on the touchline.

Despite messages on the screen allowing for a break in play to allow the players to break their fast, loud boos were clearly heard from the stands at Elland Road.

As part of Ramadan fasting, observers are obliged to avoid all food and drink (including water) from dawn until sunset.

Speaking after the game, Man City boss Guardiola told Sky Sports: "It's the modern world, right? You know what happened in the world again today, right?

"Respect the religion, respect the diversity. That is the point. It's the rule, we didn't say that. It was the Premier League who said: for the fasting, you can spend one or two minutes in the game to do that, for the players to do it.

"So, yeah it's what it is. Unfortunate."

As Leeds manager Daniel Farke was sent off at full-time of the 1-0 defeat, assistant manager Edmund Riemer spoke to the media after the game and expressed his "disappointment" at the reaction of some supporters to the stoppage.

"I [was] focussed on the game," he told Sky Sports. "Disappointed with some supporters and we learn from it."

'Football has a long way to go in terms of acceptance'

Kick It Out, the charity set up in 1993 to fight discrimination in football, expressed their "massive disappointment" in the boos of some supporters.

They wrote: "It's massively disappointing that some Leeds United fans jeered when Manchester City's players broke their fast during the first half of the match at Elland Road this evening.

"This was compounded by the fact that an explanation was displayed on a big screen inside the stadium.

"Pausing the game to allow Muslim players to break their fast during Ramadan has been an agreed protocol for several years now. It's an important and visible part of making the game welcoming for Muslim players and communities.

"But as tonight's reaction shows, football still has a long way to go in terms of education and acceptance. "

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Pep Guardiola tells fans to 'respect religion' after Ramadan break booed during Man City's win at Leeds