Belgium’s Doku welcomes son during World Cup amid commentator controversy
Key takeaways
- Doku travelled to the UK as a French presenter who said fathers are ‘useless’ at childbirth was stood down from her show.
- “Jeremy received the news before yesterday’s match that the birth was imminent,” the team’s doctor, Brahim Hacene, said.
- Doku had already been ruled out of Sunday’s match due to illness.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Doku travelled to the UK as a French presenter who said fathers are ‘useless’ at childbirth was stood down from her show.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Doku, who is to rejoin his teammates in Seattle on Tuesday, is regarded as one of the best young players in the Belgium squad, who have made a solid if unspectacular start to their campaign [Alex Grimm/Getty Images/AFP]By AFPPublished On 22 Jun 202622 Jun 2026Jeremy Doku has become a father, the Belgian Football Association announced, days after the player’s plans to leave the FIFA World Cup to attend his child’s birth sparked controversy.
After consultations with medical staff, Doku was allowed to temporarily leave the Red Devils before last Sunday’s game with Iran to join his wife in London, where the couple welcomed a baby boy, Praise, the federation said on Monday.