Tunisia’s World Cup football team has apparently found an ingenious way to fight fatigue as they fast for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In friendly matches against Portugal then Turkey, goalkeeper Mouez Hassen appeared to feign injury at sundown, when the fast comes to an end. As he lay on the pitch receiving medical treatment, his teammates rushed to the sidelines to drink water and snack on dates. And it produced immediate results.
Down 2-1 to European champions Portugal, Tunisia rebounded six minutes after Hassen’s injury break by scoring an equaliser and ended the match 2-2. Days later against Turkey, Hassen stopped play by laying on his back. Again, his teammates ate dates and drank water provided to them by waiting for coaching staff. That match also ended 2-2.
Neither Hassen nor the Tunisian football federation have yet commented on the timing of the two injury breaks.