The BBC received numerous complaints after a journalist asked how many lesbian players are on the Morocco roster for the Women’s World Cup, after which an apology was offered.
He 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 reporter was met with a frown from Chebbak as she said, “Sorry, this is a very political question, so we’ll just stick to questions relating to football.”
But he stood firm, answering, “No, it’s not political, it’s about people, it’s got nothing to do with politics. Please let her answer the question.”
Ian Wright, who criticized his method of questioning on Twitter, posted a video of the exchange with the description, “Morocco captain Ghizlane Chebbak’s almost in disbelief reaction to the question, says it all.”
“A completely unethical out-of-line question that poses safety concerns to the players he asking to be named. Bizarre push followed.”
CBC reporter Shireen Ahmed agreed, saying, “The reporter was completely out of line. Harm reduction matters and posing the question to the captain or coach was unnecessary.”
“The question was waved off by a FIFA media officer moderating but it shouldn’t have been asked.”
The BBC later issued a statement saying, “We recognise that the question was inappropriate. We had no intention to cause any harm or distress.”
In qualifying for the Women’s World Cup, Morocco became the first Arab nation to do so. On Monday, they played Germany and fell by a score of 6-0.
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