Participants in a Ramadan League co-ordinated by Leicester City Football Club say the multi-faith tournament has helped to increase community cohesion and understanding in the city.

The Premier League club’s charitable arm, Leicester City in the Community, staged the annual tournament throughout Ramadan, which culminated in Eid al-Fitr this week when Muslims mark the end of the holy month.

The league took place at Goals Leicester with 40 participants - including players from different religious backgrounds - involved over a four-week period.

One player Suhayb Firouz explained how the league, overseen by the club’s Kicks Co-ordinator Ali Adnan and shown below in 2019, increases integration and understanding for non-Muslims around Ramadan.

“It’s well known how diverse the city is,” he said. “It’s great that Ali Adnan and the team has brought in teams where people are not fasting. It helps us integrate with each other, helps them to see how we spend the month and we speak to them and see how they feel about us.

“The tournament brings everyone together. Football is something I believe is good for everyone’s mental wellbeing and physical health, and you add in the competitiveness as well, so it just brings everyone together.”

Another player, Zinedine Zayd, highlighted the mental and physical benefits of the Ramadan League. He told the club’s official website: “We got to the final, so yes, we have done well! The majority of us are all fasting, so it's like if you go and tell someone you’re fasting for 15 to 20 hours a day, how are you going to play football?

“When you get here, you get on the pitch with your friends and you just forget about the fast. A lot of people struggled, but stuff like this, it definitely makes it all easier.”

To find out more about Ramadan League, contact ali.adnan@lcfc.co.uk.