Belgium’s Doku welcomes son throughout World Cup amid commentator controversy | World Cup 2026

Doku travelled to the UK as a French presenter who mentioned fathers are ‘ineffective’ at childbirth was stood down from her present.

Jeremy Doku has grow to be a father, the Belgian Soccer Affiliation introduced, days after the participant’s plans to go away the FIFA World Cup to attend his little one’s start sparked controversy.

After consultations with medical employees, Doku was allowed to briefly depart the Pink Devils earlier than final Sunday’s recreation with Iran to hitch his spouse in London, the place the couple welcomed a child boy, Reward, the federation mentioned on Monday.

“Jeremy acquired the information earlier than yesterday’s match that the start was imminent,” the crew’s physician, Brahim Hacene, mentioned.

Doku had already been dominated out of Sunday’s match because of sickness.

“As he had already been receiving the suitable medical remedy for a number of days, he was capable of fly with none medical danger to be together with his household throughout this very particular second,” the physician mentioned.

“Mom, father, and child are all doing splendidly,” he added.

Doku, who’s to rejoin his teammates in Seattle on Tuesday, is considered the most effective younger gamers within the Belgium squad, who’ve made a strong if unspectacular begin to their marketing campaign, drawing each their matches to this point.

The 24-year-old had made it clear earlier than the Pink Devils’ first match that he would have needed to be there for the start of his first little one, drawing criticism from some quarters.

A presenter on L’Equipe TV, the channel of the historic French sports activities newspaper, questioned the choice, saying that fathers have been “ineffective” at childbirth, whereas a whole lot of footballers would have killed to play in a World Cup.

The feedback triggered a web based storm, forcing L’Equipe to apologise and distance itself from them. The presenter has been stood down from her present.

Doku began in Belgium’s first match in opposition to Egypt, however struggled to make an affect earlier than being changed.

The lacklustre scoreless draw in opposition to Iran in Los Angeles drew scorn from Belgian media, which lambasted the crew’s efficiency.

Belgium, who’re rebuilding after their “golden era” confirmed that age had caught up with them in exiting on the group stage within the 2022 World Cup, can guarantee themselves of progressing to the final 32 with a win over New Zealand of their ultimate group match on Friday.