Belgian footballer Doku welcomes baby boy after World Cup controversy

The Belgian football association announced on Monday that Jeremy Doku has become a father, following controversy over his decision to leave the World Cup to attend his child's birth.

After consulting medical staff, the association permitted Doku to temporarily depart from the Red Devils before the Sunday match against Iran, allowing him to join his wife in London where they welcomed a baby boy named Praise.

“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.

“As he had already been receiving the appropriate medical treatment for several days, he was able to fly without any medical risk to be with his family during this very special moment,” the doctor said.

“Mother, father, and baby are all doing wonderfully,” he added.

Doku is expected to return to his teammates in Seattle on Tuesday. He is considered one of Belgium’s most promising young players, and the team has had a solid but unspectacular start to the tournament, drawing both matches played to date.

The 24‑year‑old had stated before Belgium’s opening match that he wished to be present for his first child’s birth, a stance that attracted criticism from some observers.

A presenter on L’Équipe TV, the television channel of the historic French sports newspaper, challenged the decision, claiming that fathers were “useless” at childbirth while hundreds of footballers would have risked death to play in a World Cup.

The remarks sparked an online backlash, prompting L’Équipe to issue an apology and distance itself from the comments; the presenter was subsequently suspended from her show.

Doku began Belgium’s opening match against Egypt but struggled to influence the game before being substituted.

The goalless draw against Iran in Los Angeles was criticized by Belgian media, which condemned the team’s performance.

Belgium, rebuilding after the decline of their “golden generation” that saw them exit the 2022 World Cup group stage, are assured of advancing to the last 32 following a win over New Zealand in their final group match on Friday.

AFP