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Abdoulaye Doucoure who has played in England, France and Spain says the Premier League is the best league for Muslims.
Abdoulaye Doucoure, who plays for Premier League side Everton, has revealed that the English top flight is the best league in the world for Muslims, as there's freedom and religious tolerance in England.
Doucoure is one of the 253 Muslim footballers in the first team and academies of the first four tiers of English football, and the French-Malian reveals that playing in England is the best for a follower of Islam.
What Doucoure said
Doucoure sat down with BBC Sport at the Everton training ground, where he discussed his faith, ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which begins in a few hours.
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Doucoure, who was raised in Paris and has played in France for Rennes, Spain for Granada, and England for Watford and Everton, believes that the English Premier League is the best for a Muslim footballer.
He drew comparisons with France, where he was born, saying there's a big difference in the level of tolerance and that the English are a great example.
Doucoure is a member of his local community mosque in Greater Manchester, where he lives, and he says he is well accepted by the people, who were happy to welcome him.
"We feel very confident here, very accepted and everything is in place for Muslim people to enjoy,” Doucoure said.
"In the Premier League you are free to do whatever suits you, they will never do anything against your faith and this is great.
"I was born in France and worked there, but between France and England there is a big difference. English people are a great example.
"Sometimes you have to listen to the people and understand what the faith means to them. It is not a choice - it matters to us to protect our faith 100%.
"I always wanted to be in the Premier League and I want to stay much longer here. It is the best league for Muslims to be in."
Doucoure forms a triumvirate of Muslim midfielders for Everton alongside Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana, and the player reveals they have a strong relationship outside the pitch as well.
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He revealed that all three pray together on the Everton grounds, where Idrissa Gueye acts as the imam, and that they have always felt welcomed to practice their religion.
"We speak the same language, so we are very close and play together in the midfield, which brings us even closer.
"We always pray together and ask for space to pray. People are very welcoming and give us the space. Idrissa usually leads because he is older and has a good voice."
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Premier League referees to pause time for Muslims
The Premier League's recent initiative lends credence to Doucoure's claim, and referees have been told to allow for a natural pause in time to allow Muslims who are in action during a late kick-off to break their fast.
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You can read the full story here. A precedent was set in 2021 when a match between Leicester and Crystal Palace was paused to allow the Muslims on either side, Wesley Fofana and Cheikhou Kouyate, to break their fast.
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