The weeks leading up to this tournament haven’t been easy, particularly on Muslim players observing Ramadan, which has come a month before the world’s biggest football tournament kicks off. Muslim players observing the month of Ramadan have had to prepare for the tournament under extraordinary circumstances, no doubt making travel and training schedules more challenging. The Ramadan fasting meant training schedules had to be adapted, meals rearranged and sleeping patterns adjusted.

Perhaps then, the most anticipated thought for many fans, particularly in the Middle East, is whether Muslim teams and players who are close to finishing the annual Holy Month had the proper training ahead of the tournament, and whether their fasting had a negative impact on their preparation, potentially affecting their World Cup performance.

Prof. Karim Chamari, a Research Scientist at Aspetar with an extensive background on the effects of fasting on performance, thinks the first few weeks of the tournament will be the hardest for Muslim players as the body’s biological clock reverts to its pre-fasting state.

The latest research findings found that Ramadan fasting had adverse effects on selected aspects of physical performance., The distance a football player can cover during a match for example, particularly at high intensity, is lower during the fasting period compared to when that athlete isn’t fasting Dr. Chamari said.

However, the root cause for that decrease in performance is not necessarily wholly from the fasting,

he added.

Researchers suggested that there could be a ‘nocebo’ effect in play. A nocebo effect is when the mere suggestion of side effects is enough to bring on negative symptoms. Similarly, those who view Ramadan as a month of fatigue will be negatively affected by it and vice versa. In reality, there are many scientific studies reporting positive effects of intermittent fasting on body and mental health”

He continued:

The impacts of fasting in Ramadan varies considerably from one region to another, depending on two factors: location, i.e. how close the country is to the equator, and the season. If a player lives in a country close to the equator, such as Qatar, the duration of fasting remains relatively consistent throughout the year (from 14 or 15 hours). Meanwhile, if a player lives far from the equator, for instance in northern Europe, the duration of fasting tends to be very short in the winter, and very long in the summer (can reach up to 20 or 21 hours).”

“When a player only has three to four hours to replenish with food and fluids, there’s no doubt it’ll be challenging for them, and they’re likely going to suffer from chronic fatigue, particularly towards the end of the Ramadan. If a player is fasting in relatively easy conditions, such as in Qatar, where it’s quite possible to maintain one’s health when following the right diet and exercise regimen, and staying out of the extreme heat during summer months, the eventual fatigue suffered could very well be a result the nocebo effect rather than the fasting’s effect on the body.”

“I think the most challenging time for Muslim teams are the first two weeks of the tournament. That doesn’t mean they’ll be knocked out of the tournament and not win a group stage game, but they would have had a ‘’special preparation’’ with the month of Ramadan coming just before the world cup. After all football is unpredictable. A team can win simply from a successful free kick, which can be done well with minimal physical effort.”

“When trying to analyse the effects of fasting on performance, we also need to make a clear distinction between three types of teams. There are teams made up of Muslim majority. These include Tunisia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Morocco. There are also teams with a significant number of Muslim players, such as Senegal and Nigeria. And teams made up of a few Muslim players. In cases A and B, coaches often adjust the training schedules of their athletes to fit Ramadan’s hours. But in case C (France, Belgium, Germany, for instance), the coaches might be reluctant to change the schedule of an entire team for the sake of one or two players. So that also makes observing the month more difficult for individual players“.

“For example, teams of Muslim majority countries can train at night after Iftar. If the team requires two sessions a day, the preferred approach is for the coach to do a light training session just before Iftar, a tactical or technical training session for instance, after which players can break their fast. Then, three hours after Iftar, the team can do the more difficult / hard training sessions. Whereas in teams of Muslim minority, most training sessions are done in the morning or early afternoons, which can be challenging and might cause more strain on the players’ performance.”

About Aspetar:

Aspetar is a world leading specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital, and the first of its kind in the Middle East. Since 2007, with a world expert team, the hospital has provided top-level comprehensive medical treatment to all athletes in a state-of-the-art facility that sets new standards internationally.

In 2009, Aspetar was accredited as a “FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence”. In 2013, Aspetar was adopted as a reference collaborator centre by the Gulf Countries Council (GCC) Health Ministers Council and “IOC Research Centre for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health” in 2014.

In 2015, Aspetar has been recognised as the “IHF Reference Centre for Athlete and Referee Health”. On December 15 of the same year, the hospital also achieved the Accreditation Canada International (ACI) “Platinum Level”.

Aspetar is a member–organisation of Aspire Zone Foundation, Qatar’s innovative sports and healthy lifestyle destination.