BBC apologise for ‘inappropriate’ question to Morocco captain at Women’s World Cup

The question was asked before Morocco’s game against Germany

The BBC have issued an apology after a reporter asked Morocco captain Ghizlane Chebbak an “inappropriate” question about gay players at the Women’s World Cup. While speaking to the media before their game against Germany, a journalist from the BBC’s world feed asked 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?”

Before Chebbak could acknowledge the question a FIFA moderator quickly responded: “Sorry, this is a very political question, so we’ll just stick to questions relating to football.” The journalist then fired back, saying: “No, it’s not political, it’s about people, it’s got nothing to do with politics. Please let her answer the question.” https://twitter.com/SHEscoresbanger/status/1683517145638924288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1683517145638924288%7Ctwgr%5Ef9cd448bec892b0b8c4b223fa5677e08eab60b7e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joe.co.uk%2Fsport%2Fbbc-apologise-for-inappropriate-question-to-morocco-captain-at-womens-world-cup-400936

BBC have now released a statement.

Same-sex marriage is considered illegal in Morocco and can be punishable by spending up to three years in prison and issuing fines. After the question went viral, many called out the journalist and claimed he could have impacted Chebbak and her teammates’ safety in their home country. Since the incident on Sunday occurred, the BBC have now released a statement apologising for the question. The broadcaster said:

“We recognise that the question was inappropriate. We had no intention to cause any harm or distress.”

Morocco lost their opening game of the Women’s World Cup – which they are competing at for the first time in the nation’s history – 6-0 against Germany. Check out our House of Football interview with the Irish women's team record goal scorer Olivia O'Toole: Related articles:

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• Ireland's pre-World Cup match abandoned after 20 minutes due to 'overly physical play'.
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