BBC apologises for reporter’s LGBT query to Morocco’s soccer captain

By India Today World Desk: The BBC issued an apology after one among its reporters requested an “inappropriate” query to Ghizlane Chebbak, the captain of the Morocco ladies’s nationwide soccer crew. At a press convention after the Moroccan crew’s World Cup match in opposition to Germany on Monday, the reporter requested Chebbak if the crew has “any gay players”.

“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 BBC reporter requested Chebbak.

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Moroccan regulation criminalises acts of ‘sexual deviancy’ between members of the identical intercourse and are punishable with as much as three years in jail and fines of as much as 1,000 dirhams (USD 91), based on Human Rights Watch.

The BBC reporter was interrupted by the press convention moderator, who mentioned, “Sorry, this is a very political question, so we’ll just stick to questions relating to football.” However, the reporter replied, “No, it’s not political. It’s about people, it’s got nothing to do with politics. Please let her answer the question.”

The reporter’s query sparked outrage, with a number of journalists who had been within the room on the time of the press convention saying it was “unnecessary” and “completely out of line”.

According to CNN, a FIFA representative addressed the BBC journalist on site immediately after the press conference had ended. After the outrage, the BBC issued an apology and a spokesperson for the British news organisation told CNN, “We recognise that the question was inappropriate. We had no intention to cause any harm or distress.”

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Edited By:

chingkheinganbi mayengbam

Published On:

Jul 26, 2023