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"Ramadan doesn't do El Ahmadi any
good'
Sjoerd Mossou
AD
Wednesday 23 September 2008
The Ramadan has not done the recovery
of Feyenoord-midfielder Karim El Ahmadi any good according
to Gertjan Verbeek.
"We haven't been able to let
him do the right amount of work, so he is a week and
a half behind schedule," the Feyenoord coach says.
"Because he is not eating
he could usually only train once a day. That does not
stimulate his recovery."
El Ahmadi has been dealing with
a groin injury since early pre-season.
Yesterday he participated in group
training for the first time and next week he hopes to
play his first match with the reserves.
"I spoke to Karim about the
Ramadan and explained the pros and cons to him,"
says Verbeek.
"Then I left it up to him,
as I see no point in enforcing certain things upon him.
It's his choice. But training twice a day when you are
not eating and drinking can even be life-threatening.
I do not wish to be responsible for that."
As the Ramadan is shifting closer
and closer to the summer in recent years the days are
growing longer.
"Well, they are doing it to
themselves," Verbeek says.
"As it's a matter of how they
deal with it. I understood that for instance a surgeon
only keeps to it on his day off. And that that is respected.
I will not condemn but I am not solidary either. Karim
didn't have much fat on his body to begin with, but
at the end of the Ramadan there is virtually nothing
left of that. That makes him very susceptible to a flue
and when you then drink nothing at all, it takes longer
to recover. The Ramadan and sport at top level do not
combine. But you know that when you sign a Muslim player,
so I have to respect that. And I do."
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