Ballon d’Or ceremony highlights case of detained French journalist Christophe Gleizes

Christophe Gleizes, the French sports journalist detained in Algeria since June 2025, received a show of solidarity during Monday’s 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony in London.

Before the winners of the men’s and women’s awards were announced to millions of viewers around the world, presenter Kate Scott and former France forward Thierry Henry expressed their support for Gleizes.

The gesture used one of football’s most-watched events to call for the journalist’s release and draw attention to press freedom, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Gleizes is an independent French sports journalist who has worked for So Foot and the So Press media group, which also publishes Society. His work focuses on sports journalism, including coverage of clubs and football in France and abroad.

He travelled to Algeria in May 2024 to prepare a report on historic club JS Kabylie in the city of Tizi Ouzou. He was arrested on 28 May and was then placed under judicial supervision for about a year, according to a timeline published by media reports and RSF.

The case moved beyond sports reporting after Gleizes was accused of “supporting terrorism” and possessing publications intended for propaganda that harmed the national interest.

He was sentenced to seven years in prison on 29 June 2025. The verdict was upheld on appeal in December of the same year.

According to published reports, the case relates to interviews Gleizes conducted with figures connected to the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie. The organisation has been classified as a terrorist group by the Algerian authorities since 2021.

RSF has defended Gleizes, arguing that the case is connected to his professional work and calling for his release.

Support for the journalist has also come from prominent figures in football, including Fifa president Gianni Infantino and France manager Zinedine Zidane, who has Algerian heritage. Football and press organisations have taken part in related efforts on his behalf.

Gleizes was also given a symbolic Fifa accreditation to cover the 2026 World Cup, a move intended to keep his case in the public debate.

In May 2026, Gleizes withdrew his appeal to Algeria’s Court of Cassation, French media including Le Monde reported, citing his family and lawyers. The decision was made in an attempt to create the possibility of a presidential pardon.

His lawyers later said changes in the legal process had left the future of the case dependent on the powers of the Algerian president. However, the move did not lead to his release.

Gleizes’s family confirmed in media comments on 15 October that he remained detained in Algeria.

The message delivered at the Ballon d’Or ceremony marked the latest public effort to draw attention to the journalist’s situation.