A reporter faced heavy criticism after asking the captain of Morocco’s women’s national team about her teammates’ sexuality as it relates to the country’s laws against same-sex relationships during a press conference this week.
Ahead of Morocco’s brutal 6-0 loss to Germany in their opening Women’s World Cup match, 32-year-old forward Ghizlane Chebbak was asked the controversial question by an unnamed BBC reporter.
Morocco team captain Ghizlane Chebbak looks on in a press conference in Melbourne on July 23, 2023, on the eve of the Women’s World Cup football match between Germany and Morocco. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
“In Morocco, it’s illegal to have a gay relationship. Do you have any gay players in your squad and what’s life like for them in Morocco?” the reporter asked.
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Chebbak grimaced when she heard the translation of the question but never responded as a mediator at the press conference quickly interjected.
“Sorry, this is a very political question, so we’ll just stick to questions relating to football.”
The reporter denied the characterization that the question was political, adding “it’s about people. It’s got nothing to do with politics.”
A detailed view of the Football Unites The World FIFA armband on the match shorts of Ghizlane Chebbak in the Morocco changing room prior to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Group H match between Germany and Morocco at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on July 24, 2023. (Alex Pantling – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
“Please let her answer the question,” he continued.
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In a statement to Sky News, the BBC issued an apology, calling the question “inappropriate.”
“We recognize that the question was inappropriate. We had no intention to cause any harm or distress.”
Several people on social media slammed the question.
Soccer staff writer for The Athletic, Steph Yang said on Twitter that questions like the one asked “would have endangered the players themselves.”
Ghizlane Chebbak, left, and Hanane Ait El Haj look dejected during the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Group H match between Germany and Morocco at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on July 24, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
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“We are obviously going to talk about the intersection of politics and sports at this World Cup, and it’s vital to do so. But we should take care that our questions don’t cause further harm to those impacted by those very politics,” Yang continued.
CBS Sports senior contributor Shireen Ahmed slammed the question as “completely out of line.”
“Asking a player about her teammates and whether they are gay and how it affects them when you know it is not permissible is bizarre and out of line. The captain can not out players nor comment on policy bc it could be dangerous for them, too.”
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