The BBC has apologised for asking an “inappropriate” question to the captain of the Morocco women’s national team at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The question, which was about the sexuality of the players and the legal status of same-sex relationships in Morocco, was met with criticism and disbelief by other journalists and social media users.
The incident happened at a media conference ahead of Morocco’s historic debut at the tournament against Germany on Monday. Morocco became the first Arab and north African team to qualify for the women’s World Cup.
A reporter from the BBC’s World Service asked Ghizlane Chebbak: “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 question was quickly interrupted by a FIFA media representative, who said: “Sorry, this is a very political question, so we’ll just stick to questions relating to football please.”
But the reporter insisted: “No, it’s not political, it’s about people, it’s got nothing to do with politics. Please let her answer the question.”
Chebbak appeared visibly uncomfortable following the question and looked to her coach, Reynald Pedros, before laughing.
On Tuesday, a BBC spokesperson said: “We recognise that the question was inappropriate. We had no intention to cause any harm or distress.”
The question was condemned by some of the journalists who were present at the conference as unethical, dangerous and out of line, as it could put the players and their families at risk.
According to Human Rights Watch, “Moroccan law also criminalizes what it refers to as acts of ‘sexual deviancy’ between members of the same sex. Article 489 of the penal code punishes same-sex relations with prison terms of up to three years and fines of up to 1,000 dirhams ($91).”
Shireen Ahmed, a journalist for CBC Sports, said: “This isn’t an issue of journalistic freedom. You can inquire about social laws in different places without endangering people. Journalists have an obligation to be fair, accurate and practice with care. If reporting harms someone, it is not only unethical but dangerous.”
Steph Yang, a reporter for The Athletic, said: “From a harm reduction perspective, this is not an appropriate question for a player and would have endangered the players themselves. 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.”
Morocco lost 6-0 to Germany in their opening match of the World Cup. The tournament, which kicked off last week, has also seen controversy over a potential sponsorship deal between FIFA and Saudi Arabia’s tourism authority.
FIFA is allowing a variety of different armbands that highlight “a range of social causes” to be worn at the World Cup. Some players have used them to show their support for LGBTQ+ rights and other issues.
Relevant articles:
– BBC apologises for LGBTQ+ question to Morocco’s football captain, The Guardian, 25 Jul 2023
– ‘Do you have any gay players in your squad?’ BBC apologise for question to Morocco captain, The Irish Times, 25 Jul 2023
– BBC apologise for “inappropriate” question to Morocco captain at Women’s World Cup, The Mirror, 25 Jul 2023
– BBC apologizes for reporter’s ‘inappropriate’ question to Morocco women’s team captain, CNN, 24 Jul 2023