Mustapha Kessous is a French journalist and writer born in 1979 in Lyon. He began his career in Lyon Capitale in 2001 before joining Le Monde in 2004, where he initially worked in the Society section and later became a reporter in the Sports desk. His early years in journalism were marked by a strong interest in social issues, identity, and discrimination — themes he would later explore in depth. In 2009, he published a widely discussed column recounting his experience with racism as a journalist at Le Monde, a text that resonated nationally and helped broaden the conversation on everyday discrimination in France.

Beyond his newsroom work, Kessous has built a significant body of writing on major sporting events, authoring several volumes in the “Que sais‑je ?” collection dedicated to the Olympic Games, the Tour de France, and the Football World Cup. His curiosity for the social and cultural dimensions of sport has made him a distinctive voice in French sports journalism. He has also contributed to radio, notably with a daily World Cup chronicle on RTL in 2014.

Kessous is also an accomplished documentary filmmaker. He co‑directed Français d’origine contrôlée (France 2, 2014), a two‑part film revisiting the legacy of the 1983 March for Equality, and later worked on documentaries such as Bavures, moi policier j’ai tué un homme (France 3, 2018), France 98 : nous nous sommes tant aimés (France 2, 2018), and Algérie, mon amour, a portrait of the Hirak movement broadcast on France 5 in 2020. His work consistently blends journalism, memory, and social inquiry, making him a key figure in contemporary French reportage.