Jérémy Doku flew home, watched his son come into the world, and was back in training within 48 hours. That's the story. Everything else is noise — though there was a lot of it.
The Manchester City winger had flagged early in the tournament that his wife Shireen was due to give birth in the second week of July, around the quarter-final stage. He was clear about where his head was: "Nobody wants to miss the birth of their first child," he told reporters. "But I also know that football involves many other considerations." Reasonable. Human. Uncontroversial — or so you'd think.
The comment that lit the fuse
France Pierron, a broadcaster for French channel L'Equipe, had other ideas. During a televised segment, she argued that attending a birth was a waste of a World Cup opportunity, calling childbirth "disgusting" and dismissing the father's role as holding a hand and taking a photo.
The clip went viral immediately. England striker Ollie Watkins — father of two — was asked about it at a press conference and didn't hold back: "A first child only happens once. Someone labeled his decision disgusting, and that is not the way to talk about a birth." L'Equipe the outlet moved quickly to distance itself, saying her comments were "very far removed from the group's values."
Pierron eventually posted an apology on X, framing it as a personal opinion expressed in a "contentious exchange" and saying she never meant to minimise the role of fathers. Whether that lands is between her and the audience she offended.
The only part that actually matters
Doku's son arrived earlier than expected on June 22 — before the quarter-finals, before Belgium's tournament even reached that stage. He missed one match: a 0-0 draw against Iran on June 21. He rejoined the squad the following day to prepare for their next game against New Zealand on Saturday.
A team doctor confirmed: "Everything went perfectly, and the mother, father, and baby are all doing wonderfully."
Belgium's campaign rolls on. Doku will be available. And his son's first day on earth had his father in the room.
