Friday 25 of June 2010
IFJ Calls on FIFA to Ensure Safety of Journalists During 2010 World Cup
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned threats and violence against journalists during the world cup which is currently taking place. IFJ calls on the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) to ensure the safety of the journalists accredited to cover the tournament that is being held for the first time on the African continent.
“The success of this international event is due partly to the work of the journalists and the media. They deserve protection rather than threats and violence,” declared Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary.
According to press reports, on June 21st, 2010, at the end of the training session, the Cameroonian player Alexandre Song threatened Jean Robert Fouda, Journalist of the Repères newspaper and the online newspaper Camfoot.com, accusing him of propagating false reports in exchange of money. According to witnesses, the player told the journalist that “I swear you on the tomb of my children that you will pay dear for what you said”.
IFJ deplores another incident which occurred on June 22nd when, following the elimination of his team, Algerian Rafik Saïfi slapped a female journalist, Asma Halimi of the Algerian newspaper Compétition. She has announced her intention to press charges for the assault and indicated that she had recently published an article about the player, adding that “perhaps, he was not satisfied”.
“Like the players, the coaches and administrative staff, the journalists are also actors in these games with the responsibility to inform the public of their countries on the competition unfolding in South Africa. For this reason, their safety must be guaranteed” added Mr. White.
A few days before the beginning of the world cup, nearly eight foreign journalists and media workers (Portugal, Spain and China) were attacked, sometimes by armed men, and robbed in their hotels.
The IFJ calls on the FIFA to take all the necessary measures to reinforce the safety of journalists during the tournament and to enable them to work freely and independently.
For more information, contact +221 33 867 95 87 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +221 33 867 95 87 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 125 countries worldwide
- June 25, 2010 by IFJ
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Source: africa.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-calls-on-fifa-to-ensure-safety-of-journalists-during-2010-world-cup (accessed on 25.06.10)