Fawzi Benzarti settles the controversy surrounding the exclusion of fasting players from Club Africain

Fawzi Benzarti puts an end to the controversy: The exclusion of fasting players from Club Africain's lineup is a baseless rumor

Amidst the tensions and heated rivalries in the Arab football world, veteran Tunisian coach Faouzi Benzarti, the current manager of Club Africain, denied all news reports claiming he had excluded players who insist on fasting during the holy month of Ramadan from the team's starting lineup. This categorical denial put an end to a series of rumors that had recently circulated in Tunisian and Arab sporting circles, rumors that threatened to destabilize the team at a crucial stage of the season.

The truth about the absence of Algerian player Tawfiq Al-Sharifi

Claims have recently circulated that Faouzi Benzarti, nicknamed "the master coach" in sporting circles, refuses to field any fasting player to ensure their full physical readiness for crucial matches. These rumors specifically targeted the Algerian defender, Tawfik Cherifi. In an exclusive interview with the newspaper Okaz, Benzarti dismissed these claims as "nonsense," explaining the real reason behind the player's absence.

Benzarti confirmed that Tawfik Cherifi's absence from one of the team's matches in the Tunisian Premier League was not related to his fasting, but rather due to an injury that prevented him from participating. The Tunisian coach added that as soon as the player recovered from the injury and regained his fitness, he immediately returned to playing normally, thus refuting any claims of discrimination or arbitrary decisions against fasting players.

Fawzi Benzarti's stance on players fasting during Ramadan

The issue of professional footballers fasting during Ramadan has always been a hot topic of discussion in sports media, both in Arab and European leagues. In this context, Faouzi Benzarti emphasized his complete respect for the personal and religious freedom of his players. He stated clearly: "Every player is free to make his own decision, and it is impossible for me to exclude a player from the starting lineup because of fasting.".

This statement reflects the awareness of modern technical staff regarding how to deal with the month of Ramadan, as professional clubs today rely on specialized nutritional and training programs, supervised by nutritionists and physical trainers, to help players reconcile performing the fasting duty and maintaining the highest levels of physical and mental performance on the field, without the need to resort to exclusion decisions that harm the team's interests.

Fierce competition for the Tunisian league title

This media frenzy comes at a very sensitive time for Club Africain, as the team is engaged in a fierce competition for the Tunisian league title. Africain currently sits in second place in the overall standings with 51 points, just two points behind its traditional rival and historic competitor, Espérance Sportive de Tunis, which leads the table.

This close point standings makes every match feel like a cup final, explaining the immense media and fan pressure on the coaching staff and players. Fawzi Benzarti, with his decades of experience in African and Arab football, understands that maintaining team stability and internal cohesion, and shielding the players from distracting rumors, is key to keeping the pressure on the league leaders and competing strongly for the domestic title this season.