Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku has revealed he bears no ill will toward the French journalist who publicly criticised his decision to briefly leave the Belgium national team's World Cup camp for the birth of his first child.
The controversy stemmed from comments Doku made to Reuters before the tournament began, in which he stated his intention to leave the squad to be present for the birth of his son, regardless of how far Belgium had progressed in the competition. His wife, Shireen, was expected to give birth during the second week of July, right in the middle of the World Cup schedule.
That plan drew sharp criticism from L'Equipe channel presenter France Pierron, who described a father as "completely useless" at the moment of his child's birth. Her remarks sparked widespread backlash, prompting both L'Equipe and Pierron herself to issue apologies. The broadcaster stated that her comments were "very far removed" from its values, and Pierron was subsequently taken off air for the remainder of her show's season.
Despite the storm surrounding his choice, Doku followed through on his plan. He missed Belgium's goalless draw with Iran in the group stage to travel back to the UK, where his son Praise was born. According to a statement released by the Belgian federation, Doku made the trip to London "with the approval of and accompanied by one of our team doctors." His absence from the squad during that period had initially been attributed to illness.
Before missing that match, Doku had featured for 86 minutes in Belgium's opening World Cup fixture, a 1-1 draw against Egypt in Group G.
Reflecting on the episode in a video posted to his YouTube channel, Doku acknowledged that the timing of events had invited scrutiny and even suspicion. "There was a lot of noise of course," he said. "I can understand why people felt like maybe this was orchestrated because it was too perfect."
Rather than condemning Pierron for her comments, however, the 24-year-old chose a more forgiving tone. "I also saw the journalist speak about me and the situation and all the people getting at her. But I just wanted to use this video as well to really... pray over her," Doku said. "I don't want to come at her in a way that most people did. I don't want people to be too harsh on her. We don't know what she has experienced. It's her opinion."
He went on to note the professional consequences Pierron faced as a result of the backlash, expressing sympathy despite the criticism directed at him personally. "She got fired and all these things. I never want this for a person. I'm not against her. I'm not angry at her or anything. She just said her opinion," he added.
The episode highlighted the ongoing debate around athletes balancing personal milestones with professional commitments, particularly during major tournaments like the World Cup. Doku's willingness to prioritize his family, even amid intense public scrutiny, drew significant attention throughout the competition, as did the swift fallout faced by his critic.
While Doku's on-field World Cup campaign continued following his brief absence, the story surrounding his family life and the reaction it provoked became one of the more talked-about subplots of Belgium's tournament run.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.