Belgium winger Jeremy Doku has come in for a lot of criticism for saying he wants to return home for the birth of his first child. Doku’s wife is due to give birth in the second week of July, and even if Belgium are still in the hunt for the trophy, the footballer wants to be with his wife, Shireen.
“It’s my first child, so I would definitely want to be there,” the Manchester City forward, 24, told Reuters. “If you ask me what I want, my answer is that nobody wants to miss the birth of their first child. But I also know that football involves many other considerations. I know the federation supports its players and understands their situations. We’ll see what we can do.”
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L’Equipe channel presenter France Pierron has so far been the fiercest critic of Doku’s potential move. Belgium drew their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener with Egypt 1-1, and tonight they play Iran in their second Group G game. Doku will miss this game on account of illness. Their last group game is against New Zealand on Saturday morning (India time). There is a strong chance that the European team will at least reach the Round of 32. Anyway, Pierron launched a scathing attack on Doku before apologising later.
Pierron firing on all cylinders!
“The World Cup is an incredible joy,” she said in a message posted to the Facebook page of French sports publication L’Equipe.
“There are hundreds of footballers who would kill to be in your shoes. It might never happen again in your life. You’re living out a childhood dream, yet you’re going to walk away from it all to attend the birth of your child – a disgusting moment, if you’ll pardon the expression, where the dad is completely useless.”
However, after she was slammed for her comments, the presenter said her comments were misunderstood. “I was expressing a personal opinion, within the context of a contentious exchange. I understand that they may have shocked, hurt, or wounded some of you, and I am sorry for that. My intention has never been to minimise the place or role of fathers with their partner and their child.”
Retired boxer Brahim Asloum, who won light-flyweight gold for France at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, had earlier lent his weight behind Doku. “A baby is your entire life. A World Cup is over when it is over,” he wrote.
