FIFA Grants World Cup Accreditation to French Journalist Christophe Gleizes, Defended by Press Freedom Advocates

FIFA has granted World Cup accreditation to French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes, who has been detained in Algeria for more than a year. The decision was welcomed by press‑freedom campaigners as a significant gesture of solidarity.

The 37‑year‑old journalist was arrested in May 2024 while traveling to Kabylie, northeastern Algeria, to cover JS Kabylie— the country’s most decorated football club. He was later sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of “glorifying terrorism” for alleged contacts with members of the Movement for the Self‑Determination of Kabylie (MAK), a group designated a terrorist organisation by Algiers.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) noted that FIFA’s accreditation allows Gleizes to cover the World Cup, which runs from 11 June to 19 July across the United States, Canada and Mexico, for the French football magazine So Foot. While still in detention, the move is seen as a powerful statement that the journalist’s rightful place is alongside his peers covering the sport, rather than behind bars.

RSF chief Thibaut Bruttin said the decision highlights that a sports journalist’s duty lies in the field, not in prison, and that the accreditation provides hope amid ongoing calls for Gleizes’ release.

Gleizes’ family, Sylvie and Francis Godard, accepted the accreditation with gratitude but remain hopeful for a presidential pardon from Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. They have appealed to the president, citing the harsh conditions of the journalist’s confinement.

The journalist withdrew an appeal to Algeria’s Supreme Court in March, seeking to open the possibility of a pardon. In June, the highest court of appeal rejected a prosecution appeal that would have imposed a harsher sentence, a development seen as removing the final barrier to clemency. Algeria routinely issues presidential pardons during significant religious and national holidays, with campaigners eyeing 5 July— the anniversary of Algeria’s independence—to request a pardon.

(With newswires)

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