The French sports media outlet L’Équipe has publicly apologized to Belgian footballer Jérémy Doku following backlash over comments made by one of its presenters regarding Doku’s plans to leave the World Cup for the birth of his first child.
The Belgian Football Federation confirmed that Doku successfully returned to London in time for the arrival of his son, Praise, born on Monday.
“Jeremy received news before yesterday’s match that the birth was imminent,” stated team doctor Brahim Hacene. “Everything went perfectly, and the mother, father, and baby are all doing wonderfully. Jérémy will rejoin the squad [on Tuesday] evening in Seattle.”
In a previous interview, Doku mentioned that his wife, Shireen, was expected to give birth in the second week of July, and he expressed his desire to be present if Belgium remained in the tournament. “It depends on when it happens, but it’s my first child, so I would definitely want to be there,” remarked Doku, who plays as a winger for Manchester City. “If you ask me what I want, my answer is that nobody wants to miss the birth of their first child … I know the federation supports its players and understands their situations. We’ll see what we can do.”
France Pierron, a presenter for L’Équipe, sparked outrage when she said that there are “hundreds of footballers who would kill” to be in Doku’s position at the World Cup. “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,” she commented. “He just holds your hand and takes a photo.”
Earlier, one of Doku’s former youth coaches criticized him for his decision, stating that by attending the World Cup, he had already made his choice. “It may sound harsh, but if you’ve chosen to be there, you’ve chosen to play,” said Peter Janssens to a Belgian news outlet. “The only thing you can say is: ‘You’re doing great, keep going,’”
Former Belgium international Gert Verheyen also appeared to ridicule Doku’s choice, questioning what he would do during the birth. “As someone who has played in a World Cup and who has also given birth, let me tell you this: the hardest thing I have ever done in this lifetime – and the thing that I am most proud of – is bringing my baby earthside,” he noted.
However, it was Pierron who faced criticism as her comments gained traction online, prompting support for Doku from various figures in football and beyond.
“And I do not know how I would have done that without my husband beside me. Birth can be extremely complicated; anything can happen.” declared Caroline Salame, a content creator and former player for Canada at the Under-17 World Cup in New Zealand. “A baby is your entire life. A World Cup is over when it is over,” she remarked. “These remarks are solely my own and in no way reflect a collective position. I understand that they may have shocked, offended or hurt some of you, and I am sorry for that. My intention was never to minimise the place or role of fathers with their partners and children,”
Pierron’s remarks were also contested by another commentator from L’Équipe. Retired boxer Brahim Asloum, who won light-flyweight gold at the 2000 Olympics, described childbirth as an unparalleled moment. “L’Équipe distances itself with these remarks, which are far removed from [its] values and apologises to the footballer concerned and more broadly to its audience,” he stated.
Following the uproar, Pierron took to social media to express her regret. “It seems ridiculous to me that we still have these big outrages, when men talk about wanting to do the most basic human thing imaginable, which is to be present when their baby is born.” she wrote.
On Sunday, L’Équipe released a statement distancing itself from Pierron’s comments, acknowledging they had “To me, it’s like we haven’t moved on from the sort of gladiators in the Colosseum. You know, these kinds of masculine heroes who are supposed to have no softness to them, no family commitments or anything like that,” many viewers. “You can be a soft and loving man and hard as nails on the pitch, if you like.” it stated. Reports indicated that Pierron would be off-air until the conclusion of the current season of her show on July 3.
Jeremy Davies from the Fatherhood Institute in the UK remarked, “In the end, fine – football is important, everybody loves football, everybody gets terribly excited. It’s just a job, on some level, too,”
He praised Doku for setting a “This footballer gets it, and it seems to me that’s a healthy attitude in life. And if more of us had it, maybe the world would be a better place, you know?” standard. “To me, it’s like we haven’t moved on from the sort of gladiators in the Colosseum. You know, these kinds of masculine heroes who are supposed to have no softness to them, no family commitments or anything like that,” he explained. “You can be a soft and loving man and hard as nails on the pitch, if you like.”
Davies commended Doku for possessing the “perspective” to recognize the bigger picture. “In the end, fine – football is important, everybody loves football, everybody gets terribly excited. It’s just a job, on some level, too,” he remarked. “This footballer gets it, and it seems to me that’s a healthy attitude in life. And if more of us had it, maybe the world would be a better place, you know?”
