Zidane, Mbappé and Benzema remain silent on Gleizes family's appeal

Journalist Christophe Gleizes, incarcerated in Algeria since June 2025 and sentenced to seven years in prison for apology of terrorism, has received no public support from Zinedine Zidane, Kylian Mbappé or Karim Benzema, despite direct appeals from his family. The sentence was handed down following his arrest in spring 2024 while covering Jeunesse sportive de Kabylie for magazines So Foot and Society, and was upheld on appeal last December.

« They received the message, that’s clear. They’re not getting involved, that’s also very clear, » said Francis Godard, the 37-year-old journalist’s father-in-law, on the France 5 programme C dans l’air. The three players, all of Algerian descent, could have exerted diplomatic pressure on Algerian authorities, according to the family. Their silence stands in stark contrast to mobilisation from the rest of the football world: the French Football Federation, the Professional Football League and numerous clubs have publicly committed to demanding his release.

Francis Godard tempers his disappointment as the 2026 World Cup approaches: « We regret it, but it’s the World Cup, so we’re not going to jinx them for their matches, we support them. But it’s true we would have hoped for a small gesture. »

On Monday, on the eve of France’s first match against Senegal, Christophe Gleizes will have FIFA accreditation allowing him to ask a question from his cell. « It’s very symbolic, » his mother, Sylvie Godard, reacted, bitterly noting that « it’s his world celebrating while he’s in 9 square metres ». She has made a direct appeal to Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to « show great benevolence » and return Gleizes to his family. The family is hoping for a presidential pardon in the coming weeks.