FIFA president Gianni Infantino has left a seat empty at the World Cup. It belongs to Christophe Gleizes, a French sports journalist serving a seven-year Algerian prison sentence for what critics call a politically motivated charge of "glorifying terrorism." Infantino has personally invited Gleizes' parents to a match and called publicly on President Tebboune to pardon him. That's not a diplomatic whisper — that's the head of global football using the world's biggest stage to pressure a member nation.
Gleizes was detained in 2024 while investigating the death of Algerian footballer Albert Ebosse. His appeal was rejected in December. Reporters Without Borders called the case "unfounded and outrageous." Even from prison, he's been filing questions through colleagues — at a recent press conference, L'Equipe journalist Vincent Duluc told France coach Didier Deschamps he was asking on Gleizes' behalf.
"I hope for him and his family that he will be here as soon as possible," Deschamps said, "and be in a position to ask his questions himself."
Meanwhile, 5,000 miles away, Lawrence fell in love
Algeria's World Cup base is in Lawrence, Kansas — home of the University of Kansas, 40 miles west of Kansas City. And the welcome the town rolled out was something genuinely unusual. Five hundred people showed up at the airport. Local artist Stan Herd crafted a giant Algerian flag out of mulch and sand. The KU marching band learned "Kassaman," the Algerian national anthem.
Players shot hoops at the historic Allen Fieldhouse. They threw footballs at Memorial Stadium. Signs went up around town in Arabic. Businesses stuck Algerian flags in their windows.
"They quickly became our home team," said Ruth DeWitt, director of community relations for Lawrence's convention and visitors bureau.
Coach Vladimir Petkovic described seeing fans outside the hotel on arrival: "It gave me goosebumps." Captain Riyad Mahrez — the Manchester City winger — addressed the crowd simply: "Respect, and thank you so much for the welcome."
Algeria need a result against Jordan — and fast
The warmth of Lawrence hasn't translated to points yet. Algeria opened with a 3-0 loss to Argentina — Lionel Messi hat trick, Arrowhead Stadium, not much to say there. With 32 of 48 teams advancing in this expanded format, there's still room to recover, but Algeria can't afford another slip.
Monday's Group J match against Jordan in Santa Clara is effectively a must-not-lose. Algeria have qualified for the World Cup five times and never made it past the round of 16. They missed the previous two tournaments entirely. That context matters — Petkovic's squad, led by Mahrez, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Mohamed Amoura, are not a team with margin for error against a beatable opponent.
Algeria's odds to advance from the group will tighten considerably with a win. A draw leaves them sweating. Another loss and Lawrence's adopted team goes home early, regardless of how many Kansans are wearing their scarves.
"We'll try to give them something back," Petkovic said of the Lawrence support. The pitch in Santa Clara is where that promise gets tested.
