Journalists from England, Argentina, Spain and France back Christophe Gleizes | OneFootball

Ahead of the World Cup semi-finals, sports journalist associations from England, Argentina, Spain and France issued a joint appeal for the release of French reporter Christophe Gleizes, who has been jailed in Algeria for more than a year.

According to L'Équipe, the So Foot and Society contributor has been detained since 29 June 2025 and was sentenced to seven years for carrying out his work as a journalist.

The Union des journalistes de sport français (UJSF), the Asociacion Española de la Prensa Deportiva (AEPD), the Federacion Argentina de Periodistas Deportivos (FAPED) and the Sports Journalists' Association of Great Britain (SJA) delivered the message, supported by the Association internationale de la presse sportive (AIPS) and the Football Writers' Association of England.

Their statement says Gleizes should be in the press box covering the tournament, that his seat remains empty, and that football’s values of freedom, respect and solidarity are incompatible with a journalist being imprisoned for his work. They send thoughts to him and hope he soon rejoins his family, colleagues and the game.

Reporters sans frontières director-general Thibaut Bruttin said Gleizes’s place should be in the press area, not behind bars in Algeria. He praised the solidarity of journalists in the four countries and urged the Algerian authorities to free him, saying informing is not a crime.

Source: L'Équipe