Do you have any gay players in your squad?: BBC forced to apologize for reporter’s question to Morocco women’s team captain Ghizlane Chebbak

Morocco women’s team captain Ghizlane Chebbak was subjected to a question where a BBC reporter asked her that if any member of her team was gay and what it was like to have a gay relationship in the country.

The question which was deemed inappropriate due to the fact that same-sex sexual activity between men or women is criminalised in Morocco with a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment and a fine, forced BBC to apologize on behalf of their reporter.

“In Morocco, it is 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 journalist had asked in a press conference to Chebbak.

Vor dem Spiel gegen Deutschland wurde Marokkos Kapitänin Ghizlane Chebbak gefragt, ob es homosexuelle Spielerinnen im Team gibt und wie es ihnen in ergeht – homosexuelle Handlungen sind in Marokko illegal. Eine FIFA-Sprecherin wies die Frage als "politisch" ab.#FIFAWWC #GERMAR pic.twitter.com/olvc9j1Q6b

— Deutschlandfunk Sport (@DLF_Sport) July 24, 2023

An official moderating the press conference would then cut in and say, “Sorry this is a very political question so we will just stick to questions relating to football,” as the bemused Morocco captain looked on.

The journalist, however, would not yield, saying “It is not political, it is about people. Please allow her to answer.” Chebbak then smiled and shook her head.

A BBC spokesperson later had to apologize for the question, saying,” “We recognise that the question was inappropriate. We had no intention to cause any harm or distress.”

Meanwhile, Morocco’s debut game at the Women’s World Cup ended in a 6-0 loss to two-time champion Germany in what head coach Reynald Pedros described as a “David versus Goliath” contest.

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