Manchester City and Belgium winger Jeremy Doku has publicly stated that he holds no resentment toward France Pierron, a presenter for L’Equipe who harshly criticized his decision to leave the Belgium World Cup camp for the birth of his son, Praise. Doku had previously informed the media of his intention to be present for the birth of his first child, even if Belgium remained in the tournament.
Pierron ignited controversy by calling the player’s choice to be with his partner, Shireen, during childbirth as being entirely useless. Following significant backlash, L’Equipe issued an apology, noting the remarks conflicted with their standards, and subsequently removed Pierron from her hosting duties for the remainder of the season. Doku missed a group stage match against Iran to travel to the UK, a decision fully supported and facilitated by the Belgian medical team.
Addressing the situation on his YouTube channel, Doku acknowledged that the timing caused a stir, noting that some critics felt the situation appeared staged. However, he expressed sympathy for the presenter rather than anger. He stated that he did not want people to be overly cruel to her, emphasizing that he did not wish for her to lose her job and maintained that she was simply expressing a personal opinion.
