I’ve been thinking about this for days, and I’ve finally decided I need to say something.

First of all, I have the utmost respect for all religious beliefs. I only want to discuss a matter related to football.

In the past, whenever I have praised the greatness of football, I have always put forward this idea:Only football can bring all of humanity to accept and recognize the same rules and the same game, regardless of race, religion, language, culture, or political system… football is the same all over the world.In this complicated world, full of conflicts and disputes, it is fortunate that we remain unified on the football field.

Therefore, I do not believe such things should happen in football.This is not a view targeting any religion or specific incident.

In my personal understanding,religion should be a requirement one places on oneself, not on others.Religious belief is a personal matter, not someone else’s responsibility.

If one must make sacrifices for one’s faith — for example, having to give up a match — that is also a personal choice.It should not become a burden on others:such as making everyone wait, or forcing a football match to be altered, or even creating new rules to accommodate it.

Among footballers, there are people of all beliefs.Based on the principle that all religions are equal,if we follow this logic, even a single professional player could follow a religion we know little about,whose beliefs impose certain requirements —so that the matches he takes part in must give way to his religion,and we would all have to accept it.

Because in such a grand narrative,the belief of one person should be “equally” “respected” just as much as the belief of a hundred million people.

This is not made up or imaginary.Carlos Roa, Argentina’s starting goalkeeper at the 1998 World Cup,insisted he could not work (train or play) on Saturdays for religious reasons.Having already established himself at a top European club, he ended up retiring early.Back then, the league schedule was not adjusted specially for him,and he accepted it without complaint, choosing to sacrifice for his faith.

Such devout belief, though difficult for some to understand, is admirable.

But if people and cases like this are now used as a standard to demand that football make concessions in the name of “respect,”just imagine what football will become.

That is why I believe we must not set this precedent.

True equality and respect for all religions, languages, cultures, systems, and races —under the rules of football — should mean:all of these things yield to the rules of football first, and are equal thereafter,not the kind of equality and respect where everyone demands the rules of football yield and change for them.

Otherwise, football will become something unrecognizable…and the same goes for many other sports.Under such moral logic, their rules are equally fragile.

For me, football is my faith, my refuge from the real world.I do not want to see it changed like this.