French journalists call for release of imprisoned football writer at World Cup press conference

Detention in Algeria

Christophe Gleizes, a 37-year-old journalist for the French magazine So Foot, was arrested in Kabylie in May 2024 while reporting on the JS Kabylie football club. He was travelling on a tourist visa and was later sentenced in June 2025 to seven years in prison for "apology of terrorism". In March 2026 he withdrew his cassation appeal, hoping for a presidential pardon. Since then he has had almost no contact with the outside world, according to his family.

Press conference demonstration

On Monday 15 June, ahead of the France–Senegal match, dozens of French journalists unfurled "Free Gleizes" scarves in the MetLife Stadium press room. Vincent Duluc, president of the Union of Sports Journalists in France (UJSF), held Gleizes's World Cup accreditation and posed a question on his behalf about the mandatory cooling breaks during the tournament. France coach Didier Deschamps responded, saying he had met Gleizes's parents at the Coupe de France final and hoped the journalist would soon be able to ask his own questions.

I hope for him and for his family that he can be here as soon as possible to pose his questions himself.

Parents at the World Cup

Gleizes's mother Sylvie Godard and stepfather Francis Godard travelled to New York on Fifa's invitation. They said Christophe had lost his sense of time and felt "cut off" from the world. "Christophe should be at our place; it is our duty to be here to support him," Sylvie Godard told reporters.

He is starting to find time long and would like to be among you, sports journalists. This is where he must be.

The family noted that stars such as Kylian Mbappé and Zinedine Zidane had not publicly commented on the case, but they did not want to pressure them during the tournament.

Political and institutional reactions

Fifa president Gianni Infantino personally approved Gleizes's accreditation for the World Cup and called for his release, a move that was quickly condemned by the Algerian government. French officials have made no public statement, but the case remains a sensitive diplomatic issue between Paris and Algiers.

Symbolic empty seat

An empty seat is being reserved in the press box at every France game to represent Gleizes's absence. The initiative, backed by French journalists' unions, will continue throughout the tournament. Tuesday's match against Senegal at the MetLife Stadium is the first to feature the protest.