Belgium winger, Jeremy Doku, has come under fire for saying that he intends to leave the World Cup to attend the birth of his first child.
Doku's wife Shireen is heavily pregnant and is due to give birth in the second week of July, a timeframe that coincides with the tournament's quarter-final stage.
Speaking earlier this week, the Man City star told reporters he would return home to support his partner even if Belgium remain in the World Cup at that point.
'It's my first child, so I would definitely want to be there,' Doku said. '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.'
However, this led to a backlash in some quarters, including from L'Equipe presenter France Pierron, who labelled a father "completely useless" at the time of their child's birth.
🇬🇭I have decided to withdraw from the World Cup and stay with my wife,”
— we love ghana (@weloveghana042) June 22, 2026
— Jérémy Doku as he announced that he will withdraw from the FIFA World Cup 2026 to return home and support his wife during the birth of their first child. pic.twitter.com/YJ5pW7kJpW
"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."
'A baby is your entire life'
Nevertheless, Doku has received plenty of support online following Pierron's remarks - including from retired boxer Brahim Asloum, who won light-flyweight gold for France at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
"A baby is your entire life. A World Cup is over when it is over," he wrote.
Later on Saturday, Pierron released a statement on her X page in a bid to explain her comments and apologise for any offence caused.
"I was expressing a personal opinion, within the context of a contentious exchange," she said.
"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."
Belgium confirmed on Saturday that Doku will miss their second World Cup group match against Iran (20:00 BST) because of illness. Rudi Garcia's side drew their opening game with Egypt 1-1.
