Paul Konchesky, the manager of West Ham Women’s team, has expressed his support for the halting of evening games during Ramadan to allow Muslim players to break their fast. The Premier League and EFL referees have already been asked to grant similar stoppages. Ramadan is one of the holiest months in the Muslim calendar, during which Muslims abstain from eating and drinking during daylight hours. West Ham’s Hawa Cissoko and Aston Villa’s Kenza Dali are among the WSL players who will be fasting over the next month. Konchesky has stated that all players who fast during Ramadan should be supported and that if this means stopping games for two or three minutes to allow players to break their fast, then so be it.
West Ham Women’s team will play Manchester United this evening, with Konchesky in the Old Trafford away dugout as manager for the first time since his appointment last May. The match could also see Irons stalwart Kate Longhurst equal Gilly Flaherty’s record of 177 WSL appearances. Konchesky has praised Longhurst as an excellent servant for the team and stated that it would be a fantastic achievement for her to make 177 appearances in the WSL.
Manchester United have lost just twice in the league this season and will host a West Ham side that has not won a game in five matches since beating Tottenham away in December. However, Marc Skinner, the Red Devils boss, is wary of West Ham’s potential to steal points on the road. He has said that although they have not achieved the results they want, he takes this as a warning and believes they will fight hard and play with Konchesky’s energy. He has stressed that his team needs to be ready for this challenge.
Konchesky is also expecting a tough challenge from Manchester United, having lost 2-0 at home to them last September. He has stated that they are always going to be a big test and that they have some fantastic football players. However, he has also said that his team is looking forward to the challenge and hopes that they can be the ones to upset Manchester United.