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The tribute at the 70th Ballon d’Or awards came as Gleizes has been detained for one year, three months and 27 days, according to a statement issued during the event by presenters Kate Scott and Thierry Henry. A large screen displayed his photograph alongside the hashtag ‘#FreeGleizes’ just before the men’s player of the year award was announced to a global audience. The ceremony, organised by France Football magazine in partnership with UEFA, was held in London on Sunday and organisers have not received any immediate response from Algerian authorities on the dedication.
Christophe Gleizes, a 37-year-old freelancer specialising in African football for So Foot and Society magazines, travelled to Algeria in May 2024 to report on the history of Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie, one of the country’s most successful clubs based in Tizi Ouzou, Reporters Without Borders records show. He was arrested on May 28 that year and spent 13 months under judicial supervision before receiving a seven-year prison sentence on June 29 2025 for glorifying terrorism and possessing publications deemed harmful to national interests, an AP News report from December 2025 stated. The charges centre on his earlier contacts with a club official linked to the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie, designated a terrorist organisation by Algeria in 2021, though most interactions predated that classification according to RSF assessments.
An Algerian appeals court upheld the full sentence on December 3 2025, eliminating further judicial routes and leaving a potential pardon from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune as the main path to freedom, according to coverage by RFI. Gleizes told the court during his appeal hearing that he regretted entering on a tourist visa rather than seeking journalist accreditation and asked for mercy to rejoin his family, transcripts cited by multiple outlets indicate. Prosecutors maintained that his visit was not solely for journalistic purposes but involved a hostile act, court statements reviewed by Reporters Without Borders showed.
A petition launched by Reporters Without Borders shortly after the initial sentencing has collected more than 34,000 signatures, with the group describing the conviction as unfounded and outrageous in repeated public statements. Support has extended to the French Football Federation, which has called for Algerian clemency, and a solidarity football match is planned for November 11 to mark Gleizes’ 500th day in detention featuring former internationals Robert Pires and Vikash Dhorasoo among participants, RSF announcements confirm. The International Federation of Journalists and European Federation of Journalists have also joined the campaign urging media outlets to highlight his case.
Gleizes is held in Kolea Prison near Algiers where he shares a small cell and maintains contact with family through visits and limited correspondence, according to updates from his support committee relayed by The Athletic. French-Algerian relations have fluctuated in recent years with the release of other dual nationals raising intermittent hopes for his case, though no breakthrough has occurred despite diplomatic visits including one by France’s justice minister in May, AP News reports noted. As co-author of a book criticising exploitation in African football migration, Gleizes built a reputation focused on the sport across the continent without prior political involvement, profiles from So Foot indicate.
The case has drawn attention to conditions for journalists covering sensitive regional issues such as Amazigh cultural recognition in Kabylie, with RSF data placing Algeria among countries where press freedom faces significant constraints. Additional public displays of support have included a large banner at French Football Federation headquarters and statements from figures across sports and media, campaign records show. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching and both France and Algeria qualified, backers hope sustained visibility will lead to his release through presidential clemency.
