Christophe Gleizes' parents are demanding his release from New York.

Christophe Gleizes' parents spoke out on Monday in New York on the sidelines of the 2026 World Cup, demanding the release of their son, who has been imprisoned in Algeria for a year. The French journalist, detained after reporting on the Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie football club, had nevertheless received FIFA accreditation to cover the World Cup. His parents took advantage of Didier Deschamps' press conference, on the eve of France's first match, to reiterate their son's situation.

An accredited but imprisoned journalist

The Gleizes family held a press conference alongside fellow sports journalists present at the scene. Their words resonated as a poignant plea: Christophe Gleizes should be among the accredited reporters, not in an Algerian prison cell. The contrast is striking between the official accreditation issued by FIFA and the reality of a journalist deprived of his freedom for doing his job.

This initiative comes at a time when the sports journalism community is showing its support for Christophe Gleizes. The presence of his parents in New York, at the heart of the global event their son was supposed to be covering, serves as a powerful symbolic reminder. The case continues to draw attention to the plight of reporters imprisoned for their investigative work.