To mark the 500th day of detention for Christophe Gleizes, a French sports journalist held in Algeria, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has organized lately a football match between journalists, professional and amateur soccer players and other public figures in France.
Participants have called on this occasion for the immediate release of Christophe Gleizes, who was arrested in Algeria in May 2024 and sentenced in June 2025 to seven years in prison on false charges of “glorifying terrorism” while reporting on the JS Kabylie football club.
More than forty journalists, artists, comedians, amateur and professional players (including former France internationals Robert Pirès and Vikash Dhorasoo), the Mayor of Paris and referees Tony Chapron and Saïd Ennjimi took part in the solidarity event. Their goal is not to win, but to make a collective statement: Christophe Gleizes must be released.
“Christophe Gleizes can count on this team, which is determined to secure his release, and on his growing community of supporters who stand against this injustice day after day. United around a single demand : the release of Christophe Gleizes”, said RSF Director General Thibaut Bruttin.
“The place of Christophe Gleizes is in the stadium press box, not in prison. He must be able to freely practice his profession, reunite with his loved ones and continue to cover sports and the people who bring them to life.” underlined RSF Chief.
For his part, Mayor of Paris Emmanuel Grégoire said : “For 500 days now, Christophe Gleizes has been deprived of his freedom and kept far from his loved ones simply for doing his job as a sports journalist.”
In October, the Paris City Council unanimously decided to make him an honorary Citizen, title given by the city of Paris to individuals involved in human rights causes. “Paris is a city of freedoms: the freedom to inform, freedom of expression, freedom of the press. We will defend these fundamental freedoms wherever they are under threat. Tonight, football brings us together to say one simple thing: no one should ever be imprisoned for asking questions or reporting on sports”, added the Mayor, affirming that Paris will continue to mobilise — together with Christophe’s support committee, Reporters Without Borders and his family and his colleagues — until he returns home.
