At 8.55pm last Wednesday, 10 minutes into the second half of Blackburn’s Carabao Cup victory against Hartlepool, the Rovers season-ticket holder Hafiz Zayd was joined by about 100 fans as he led the Maghrib Salah, the penultimate of five daily prayers observed by Muslims, in a hospitality lounge at Ewood Park. Blackburn’s multi-faith prayer room, located behind one of the goals, accommodates around 30 people, with supporters, stewards and kiosk staff all invited to make use of the facility.
A few minutes later Dilan Markanday, a Sikh of Indian heritage and one of few South Asian players in the professional game, scored his first goal for the club. “It is really important that there are players from all different backgrounds and cultures, and that they get an opportunity to show their qualities,” Markanday says.
