‘They should be ashamed’ – Leeds United supporters hammered over Ramadan jeers

Leeds United are preparing to face Sunderland at Elland Road tonight, but the controversy from the Manchester City game is refusing to die down.

The contest was overshadowed by controversy, with the referee facing criticism for a string of puzzling decisions that went against the hosts, including showing Daniel Farke a red card after the final whistle.

Leeds felt aggrieved on multiple fronts. They were denied what looked like a strong penalty shout, and there was also an incident where a Manchester City player appeared to stamp on Ilian Gruev’s leg. Despite their protests, nothing was given, leaving the home side frustrated on the night.

Adding to the fallout, sections of the Leeds support have since faced heavy criticism for their reaction when play was briefly paused to allow Muslim players to break their Ramadan fast.

Richard Keys takes on Leeds United fans

Leeds boss Daniel Farke made an attempt to defend the Leeds fans on Monday after they came under severe criticism following the game on Saturday.

However, Richard Keys is not buying that and insisted that Leeds supporters should hang their heads in shame following the jeering of the Muslim players at the weekend during the short break.

He feels it’s another sign of an increasingly divisive society, and believes the Whites fans should have been more accommodating of a different culture and embraced it.

Keys wrote on his personal blog: “Leeds fans should be ashamed of themselves booing because of the break to allow Muslim players at Elland Road the right to break their Ramadan fast.

“Sadly, we live in such a divisive Trumpian world now that these things happen too often.

“Can’t we be a little more understanding? Embracing?”

This could have been avoided

In its statement, Kick It Out suggested that the way the situation was handled may have unintentionally made matters worse. By explicitly displaying the reason for the stoppage at Elland Road, the organisation argued that it drew unnecessary attention to something that could otherwise have passed without incident.

There’s a sense that had the brief pause simply been treated as a routine break in play, many inside the stadium might not even have given it a second thought. Instead, highlighting that it was to allow Muslim players to break their Ramadan fast appeared to amplify the moment and, in turn, the reaction from certain sections of the crowd.

It has ultimately cast Leeds and elements of the fanbase in a negative light, all over a situation that, with a little more care and foresight, might have been handled far more smoothly on Saturday night.