The video, which depicts a small number of people participating a prayer session to mark the occasion of Eid al-Adha, provoked indignant reactions from online users, with some calling it an intrusion on the Jeunesse Esch sports facilities. Others considered that religion has no place on a football pitch.
In response to an RTL enquiry, Esch-sur-Alzette mayor Georges Mischo clarified that the worshippers had requested authorisation from the council prior to the organisation of the prayer session, which had subsequently been granted.
However, club president Marc Theisen said he had not been made aware of the event, and had passed the video on to the club committee, at first believing it to be fake. “I recognised the pitch, but nowadays fakes are easily made,” he said.
The sports facilities do however belong to the municipal council of Esch-sur-Alzette, leaving them with the final say over requests to use the facilities for events. In this case, it appears the local authorities did not see fit to inform the club of the planned prayer session.
Mischo commented “it is our land, and if we want to use it for carnivals, we’ll do it,” when told of the club’s reaction. He maintained that in a town composed of 147 different nationalities, “we have to make room for everyone”. However, he concluded that the prayer session participants had partially blocked access to the ground with their vehicles, and in future said the council would demand that attendees park properly.
RTL Infos reached out to the Shoura (Assembly of the Muslim Community in the Grand Duchy), who confirmed the Eid al-Adha prayer session had indeed taken place on the football pitch on Wednesday. The reasons for holding a religious event using sports facilities were not specified.
