Jeremy Doku has been criticized for saying he wants to leave World Cup camp in Belgium to be with his wife as they give birth to their first child.
Rudy Garcia, Jeremy Doku and Nathan Goy during the World Cup match between Belgium and Egypt (Image: (DIRK WAEM / BELGA MAG / Belga / AFP via Getty Images))
Jeremy Doku is set to rejoin the Belgium squad after taking an emergency flight to London to give birth to his child. Doc hurriedly flew back to London to be with his wife Shireen and their new baby boy, Praise.
The Manchester City star missed Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Iran in Group G due to a respiratory illness, but has been given permission to return to London to be with his wife. “As he had already received appropriate treatment for several days, he was able to fly without any medical risk in order to spend this special moment with his family,” Belgian team doctor Brahim Hassen said in a statement.
“He was accompanied by my colleague Dr. Brecht de Koninck. Everything has gone perfectly and mother, father and baby are all in excellent condition. Jeremy will rejoin the group tomorrow evening in Seattle.” A statement from the Belgian FA confirmed: “Jeremy received word before the game (Sunday) that he was about to give birth.
“He had already received proper treatment for several days, which allowed him to fly without any medical risk to spend this special moment with his family.
“He was accompanied by my colleague Dr. Brecht de Koninck. Everything went perfectly and mother, father and baby are all in great condition. Jeremy is scheduled to rejoin the team (Tuesday) night in Seattle.”
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A post on the Belgian X account also said: “Congratulations to Jeremy Dok and his family on the birth of their first son, Praise.
“With permission and accompaniment from team doctors, Jeremy traveled to London with his wife for this special occasion. Jeremy will rejoin the team tomorrow night in Seattle and preparations for the next game against New Zealand will continue.”
Rudi Garcia’s side will face New Zealand in their final World Cup match on Friday, but after two draws in their opening game, they need a win to avoid being eliminated from the World Cup before advancing to the finals.
On Sunday, France’s L’Equipe newspaper rejected what many described as “disgraceful” comments made by a female commentator who criticized Doc’s desire to leave the World Cup after the birth of his first child. The newspaper apologized to the winger in a statement late on Sunday, saying France Pierron’s comments were not representative of the company’s values.
Pierron told L’Equipe de Shock on Friday:
“You have a chance to play in the World Cup and there are hundreds of footballers who would be willing to die to take your place.
Journalist France Pierron (Image: (Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images))
“But you’re going to leave everything alone and be present at the birth of your child. It’s a disgusting moment. I’m sorry, but if the father is useless, he has a role as an extra.”
Pierron then clarified his comments, saying: “In light of the huge number of reactions following my comments in L’Equipe de Choc about Belgian footballer Jeremy Doku, I would like to make some clarifications. In doing so, I expressed my personal opinion within the framework of a debate.”
“In doing so, I expressed personal opinions in the context of a controversial exchange. These statements are committed solely to me and in no way reflect a collective position. I understand that these statements may have shocked, offended, or offended some of you, and I apologize for that.”
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“My intention is not to diminish the position and role of fathers in relation to their partners and children.”
Belgium national team coach Garcia had no problem with Doc flying back. “He can’t play so we’ll be playing without him. We knew from Friday he wouldn’t play,” he said ahead of the draw with Iran.
“You don’t want to have a player play if he’s not medically fit to play. You can have him play even if he’s not 100 percent physically, but it’s more important that he’s 100 percent medically.”
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