Club and Spurs REACH host first ever Ramadan Iftar at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

The Club was proud to host its first ever Ramadan Iftar event at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night, organised by Spurs REACH - by our dedicated supporters’ group for fans from diverse and under-represented ethnic backgrounds and their allies.

Iftar is the first meal of the day for those who are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, taken after the Maghrib prayer around sunset.

This special event for around 150 Spurs REACH members and their guests was attended by Arnaut Danjuma, who as a practicing Muslim is observing Ramadan, and Ledley King, our Club Ambassador and patron of Spurs REACH.

After the fast was broken in our stadium’s East Quarter, the pair took part in a panel session alongside Imam Wasim Kempson from Nujum Sports, focusing on the importance of providing an inclusive environment around football to support players of all faiths.

During the session, Arnaut said: “Ramadan is such a huge event in the Muslim community and I’ve been very lucky and blessed to have a number of family members come to stay with me during this time. My religion is the foundation of my life and everything I do revolves around it. It preaches high morals, high standards, and if you abide by them you will always treat others how you want to be treated yourself. It also helps me in dealing with challenges in my career and my experiences in football have only been positive - especially in England where we have such an accepting culture of different religions. All credit to the Club for helping me throughout these past two weeks - they actually approached me before I approached them with a whole meal plan and Ramadan schedule for me to stick to, for which I am extremely grateful. My non-Muslim team-mates also take a huge amount of interest around the time of Ramadan as there are also many nutritional benefits to fasting.”

Ledley added: “Football and sport in general has come such a long way, even from when I played, in terms of people feeling so much more comfortable in being who they are. Perhaps in the past, a player may have felt it was a burden to tell a manager they were practicing Ramadan because they might be deemed not as fit or more tired than the other players. Players don’t have to think about that anymore and it’s important players are supported through this time and there is good communication. I played with a number of Muslim players - Mido, Hossam Ghaly, Freddie Kanoute - and it was always so important for me as a captain that everyone could express themselves and it was a respectful changing room. There are little things you can do, like changing a team meal time when you travel to a hotel for an away game so that everyone can eat together - that’s so important for a player.”

After the event, Fahim Rahman, Co-Chair, Spurs REACH, said: “As a kid, I never dreamt an event like this here at the stadium was even a possibility. I’m so proud of my Club and I’m so proud of Spurs REACH and our members. We had a huge turnout for the Iftar and we have the wholehearted support of the Club - since our formation last year, we have been fully supported in everything we’ve wanted to do to celebrate different cultures and the diversity of our fanbase. We feel extremely blessed after holding such a special event.”

To find out more about Spurs REACH, their events and to become a member, follow the link below...