The Chelsea Foundation on Sunday, March 26, will be hosting an unprecedented Open Iftar at the side of the pitch at the world-renowned Stamford Bridge stadium, marking an exciting milestone for the club and the entire Premier League, according to the club’s official website.
This will be part of the sacred Islamic month of Ramadan, fasting from before dawn to sunset from Wednesday, March 22, until Friday, April 21.
The U.K.’s largest community event during Ramadan, Open Iftar offers Muslims a chance to share an evening meal and engage in meaningful dialogue, creating a safe and inclusive atmosphere.
Many local mosques and devout members of Chelsea’s Muslim community, such as passionate supporters and curious school students, will be specially invited to attend the event, accompanied by esteemed Chelsea FC staff.
The Open Iftar will be done collaboratively with the Ramadan Tent Project – a lauded, award-winning charity founded in 2013 to unite communities and foster an appreciation of Ramadan.
The Ramadan Tent Project, renowned for 10 years of extraordinary celebration, will host the annual Ramadan Festival – a festive gathering of art, culture and creativity, to honor the sacred month of Ramadan.
Omar Salha, founder and CEO of the Ramadan Tent Project, said, "For the past decade, Ramadan Tent Project has connected and convened over half a million people from all backgrounds through its annual Ramadan Festival and flagship initiative, Open Iftar. We are honored to bring Open Iftar to Stamford Bridge on our 10th anniversary and our 2023 theme of 'Belonging' and work in partnership with Chelsea FC, who have been driving inclusivity in football. To such an extent, the 'Pride of London' will be the first Premier League club in history to host an Open Iftar event."
"Football and Ramadan bring people together over shared experiences, and we are thrilled to share this important celebration with football supporters from all backgrounds, representing a community of communities," he added.
Ramadan will be recognized at Chelsea FC and Chelsea Foundation as part of the "No To Hate" campaign, a club-wide equality, diversity and inclusion program that targets hate and discrimination and aims to educate all stakeholders inside and outside of Chelsea FC and football.
Promoting religious tolerance is one of No To Hate’s key focus areas, with other religious festivals highlighted throughout the calendar year.
Koulibaly and Fofana's support
Chelsea players Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana also expressed their excitement and support for the iftar program.
Koulibaly, the defender, who shared a video message from the London team’s social media account, said, "People love to spend time together, eat together and pray together. Many people come together and form a beautiful, big community. This is a very good thing for me during Ramadan."
Fofana expressed his gratitude for his non-Muslim friends, who have been immensely supportive of him, even to the point of accompanying him at sahur during the night.