World Cup 2026: Jeremy Doku criticized over plan to leave Belgium camp for birth of child

Winger Jeremy Doku has been criticized for saying he needs to leave Belgium’s World Cup camp to be along with his spouse when she offers birth to their first child.

Doku’s spouse Shireen is due to give birth throughout the second week of July and he intends to return dwelling even when the Red Devils are nonetheless within the event, which might then be on the quarter-final stage.

“It’s my first child, so I ‌would definitely want to be there,” the Manchester City forward, 24, told Reuters, external.

“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 do know the federation helps its gamers and understands their conditions. We’ll see what we are able to do.”

However, Doku’s plan to leave the USA and return home has brought fierce criticism from L’Equipe channel presenter France Pierron, who labeled a father “utterly ineffective” at the time of their child’s birth.

“The World Cup is an unbelievable pleasure,” she said in a message posted to the Facebook page of French sports publication L’Equipe.

“There are tons of of footballers who would kill to be in your footwear. It would possibly by no means occur once more 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 dad is completely useless.”