As the 2026 FIFA World Cup unfolds across North America, a quiet but powerful act of solidarity has emerged within the French national team’s press operations, drawing global attention to the detainment of a French sports journalist in Algeria. Across every match France has played in the tournament, an empty seat has been deliberately left vacant in the press box, and a similar empty chair sits at every official team press conference — all to advocate for Christophe Gleizes, a football reporter for Paris-based outlet So Foot who has been imprisoned in Algeria since 2024.
Gleizes, who specialized in coverage of African football, was arrested during a reporting trip to Algeria in May 2024, where he was researching a feature on JSK, a top club based in the northern city of Tizi Ouzou. In 2025, he was convicted of supporting terrorism and handed a seven-year prison sentence. The conviction stems from allegations that he communicated with a supporter of self-determination for Algeria’s Kabyle minority, a charge that press freedom advocates have rejected as criminalization of routine journalistic work.
The show of support for Gleizes ramped up on Monday, ahead of France’s highly anticipated group stage match against Senegal at New Jersey’s New York Stadium. Before head coach Didier Deschamps began his pre-match press conference, attending French sports journalists held up printed scarves emblazoned with the words “Free Gleizes” to honor their colleague. Even Gleizes’ official 2026 World Cup press accreditation — personally approved by FIFA President Gianni Infantino — was displayed prominently at the conference, a visible reminder of the seat he should have filled.
Gleizes’ mother, Sylvie, traveled to the 2026 World Cup specifically to amplify calls for her son’s release. In an interview with BBC Sport on the grounds of the New York Stadium on Monday, she shared that her son, cut off from most outside contact in prison, feels disconnected from the global football community he has spent his career covering.
Major press freedom and journalist bodies in France have rallied behind Gleizes’ cause. Following his 2025 sentencing, representatives from roughly 40 French media outlets issued a joint statement condemning the imprisonment, arguing that “the imprisonment of a journalist for carrying out his profession is a red line that must never be crossed.” French journalists’ unions have formally called on the Algerian government to reverse the conviction and release Gleizes immediately.
The solidarity action extended into the question-and-answer portion of Deschamps’ press conference on Monday. Veteran L’Equipe journalist Vincent Duluc asked a routine question about hydration breaks in the upcoming match on Gleizes’ behalf. Responding to the gesture, Deschamps expressed his public support, saying “I hope for his sake and his family’s that he can be here as soon as possible and ask his questions himself.”
The coordinated demonstration within the high-profile World Cup press corps has brought new international visibility to Gleizes’ case, turning a global football stage into a platform for press freedom advocacy.