Al Hilal head coach Laurentiu Reghecampf has criticised local football authorities for scheduling his side’s Rwanda Premier League fixture against Rayon Sports during the Ramadan fasting period. The Romanian tactician voiced his frustration during a post-match press conference following his team’s 1–1 draw at Kigali Pele Stadium. The match kicked off at 3:30pm under high temperatures, with the majority of Al Hilal’s players observing the holy month of Ramadan. During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset—a reality Reghecampf says directly impacts performance and, more importantly, player safety. “I don’t have anything to talk about the game,” Reghecampf said. “We communicated to Rwanda FA and the Rwanda Premier League that we are not ready to play day fixtures because 99 per cent of our team are Muslims, but they didn’t do anything. “How can you play if you didn’t drink, eat or sleep? Next time we will not play in this kind of situation. We asked them to put our games at night but they didn’t do anything. “I don’t care about anything (game results) but the lives of my players. Imagine if a player dies on the field — who is going to be responsible? This is not human.” In a move that drew attention, Reghecampf made five substitutions at the start of the second half. Observers linked the decision to player fatigue and physical strain associated with fasting. Al Hilal had controlled much of the first half and taken an early lead before being pegged back late in the contest. Infrastructure constraints The scheduling controversy is compounded by stadium availability challenges. Of the two venues capable of hosting night matches—Amahoro Stadium and Kigali Pele Stadium—neither is currently available for evening fixtures. Amahoro Stadium is temporarily closed in preparation for the upcoming FIFA Series, while Kigali Pele Stadium has recently experienced lighting issues, forcing the Rwanda Premier League to shift several evening games to daytime slots. In many leagues across Africa and the Middle East, matches involving predominantly Muslim squads are often scheduled at night to allow players to break their fast before kickoff. Rwanda Premier League CEO Jules Karangwa acknowledged the logistical limitations. “We have infrastructure issues which mean we can’t guarantee fixtures at their preferred kickoff time. Kigali Pele Stadium can’t host evening games due to lighting problems, and Amahoro Stadium is also unavailable. So we don’t have any other choice,” Karangwa told Times Sport. He added that Al Hilal currently have two games in hand and could face further scheduling adjustments due to their participation in the CAF Champions League. “I know Al Merrikh SC also have the same concern, but we can’t afford to postpone more games in this situation,” he said.
