football World Cup
Fifa censors questions about sexual orientation among Morocco’s players
Status: 23.07.2023 | Reading time: 2 minutes
The Moroccan national team is preparing for their first World Cup match against Germany
Source: dpa/Sebastian Gollnow
Germany starts the World Cup against Morocco on Monday. Before the game, there is a lot of excitement at the press conference. Fifa intervenes in a question about homosexuality to Morocco’s captain.
A BBC reporter at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand caused a stir by asking about the sexual orientation of players in Germany’s opening opponent Morocco. At the official press conference in Melbourne on Sunday, coach Reynald Pedros and captain Ghizlane Chebbak were asked if there were any gay players in the team.
As “The Athletic” reported, the moderator employed by the world association Fifa intervened and stopped the survey. Moroccan media representatives responded “audibly dismayed” to the question. Morocco is the first Arab country to qualify for a women’s World Cup. According to the safety instructions from the Federal Foreign Office, “same-sex sexual relationships” can be prosecuted in the North African country.
Nouhaila Benzina will be the first player to wear a hijab at a Women’s World Cup. “We are honored to be the first Arab country to take part in the Women’s World Cup,” said captain Chebbak. “We feel that we have a great responsibility to project a good image and show the achievements that the Moroccan football team has achieved by qualifying for the World Cup.”
“We’re expecting a very tough opponent”
Morocco is the opening opponent of the German soccer players this Monday (10.30 a.m. / ZDF and in the WELT live ticker). “I think Morocco has developed very well in the last two years. We can expect a compact team that is very stable defensively,” said national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg.
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Morocco is only 72nd in the Fifa world rankings. Nevertheless, Voss-Tecklenburg warns of the opening opponent: “We are expecting a very stubborn opponent, an opponent who will leave everything on the pitch. They will play with a lot of passion.”
