FINAL THIRD
Charlton’s Tal Ben Haim is the latest to put religion before their football
PELE once professed: “Football is like a religion to me. I worship the ball, and I treat it like a god.”
But when religion and football collided again this weekend, there was to be only one winner.
Missing from Charlton’s backline as they attempted to preserve their impressive run of form against Birmingham yesterday was imposing centre-back Tal Ben Haim.
But the Israeli defender had not been dropped by Addicks boss Bob Peeters, he was in a synagogue observing Yom Kippur.
The Day of Atonement started on Friday evening at sunset and requires those of Jewish faith to fast for 25 hours.
Peeters revealed Ben Haim, who missed a game in 2010 due to Yom Kippur while playing for West Ham, had been granted leave of absence.
Peeters said:“He’s a great professional and after he approached me and asked my permission not to play I decided that undoubtedly it is the right decision to let him observe Yom Kippur.”
This is not the first time God has stopped play. In the build up to the London 2012 Olympics, the Iranian women’s football team were told they could not wear hijabs in a second round qualifying match against Jordan as they were a “choking hazard”.
FIFA ruled:“The players came out wearing the hijab, with the head and neck totally covered, which was an infringement of the laws of the game.
“The match commissioner and match referee decided to apply correctly the laws of the game, which ended in the match being abandoned.”
Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse – a practicing Muslim – initially refused to wear the team’s shirt ahead of last season due to their sponsorship by payday loans company Wonga, on religious grounds.
He missed a pre-season tour to Portugal as a consequence, but backed down after seeking approval from Islamic teachers.
At the time he said:“I have had some useful discussions with my club, my family and Islamic teachers in the last few weeks. After a huge amount of thought and reflection I have made the decision to follow my team-mates and wear the kit.”
Ramadan has also posed problems for players. Though former Tottenham and West Ham striker Freddie Kanoute observed the festival while playing, Nicolas Anelka and Marouane Chamakh chose not to fast on matchdays.