The coach of the French club Nantes excluded the Algerian international player, Joan Hajjam, from the list of the team that faced Reims on Sunday, due to the player’s insistence on fasting on the day of the match.
The coach of the French club Nantes excluded the Algerian international player, Joan Hajjam, from the list of the team that faced Reims on Sunday, due to the player’s insistence on fasting on the day of the match.
Coach Antoine Kombouare said after the match, during which Nantes was defeated at home, 3-0: “Joanne? There is no argument. Those who fast, I support them… (but) on match day, you should not fast.”
He added, “It’s not a punishment. I make the rules. It’s his choice and I respect it.”
Hajjam has played nine matches for Nantes since joining the team from FC Paris in the last winter transfer season in January.
French press reports said that the 20-year-old had agreed not to fast only during Nantes’ away matches.
The French-born player chose to represent the Algerian national team last month and participated in its victory over Niger in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers during the same month.
Nantes is in the 14th place in the Ligue 1 table, with 30 points.
