With all eyes on the Women’s World Cup, it’s time to stop focusing on players’ sexuality | Anima Adjepong

Preoccupation with sexual orientation - as seen at a recent World Cup press event - is not just dangerous for many players, it evades the larger issue of the sexual harassment they face

When I heard a BBC reporter ask the Moroccan captain, Ghizlane Chebbak, if there were any gay players on her squad, I was disappointed but not surprised. The reporter was aware that Morocco criminalises queer sexualities, yet asked the question anyway. A Fifa official stepped in and answered deftly: Sorry, this is a very political question."

The question - for which the BBC has since apologised - is illustrative of the prurient and potentially dangerous curiosity that many female athletes face about their sexuality.