Doku returning to World Cup after birth of first child

Doku returning to World Cup after birth of first childImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Jeremy Doku moved to Manchester City from Rennes in 2023 for £55.4mByNick MashiterFootball reporterPublished22 June 2026Jeremy Doku has made it clear - family comes first.The Manchester City winger has become a father after leaving the Belgium World Cup camp to be at the birth in England.It is a long journey that was sanctioned by his national team and led to criticism in some quarters when he suggested it.L'Equipe channel presenter France Pierron criticised him, saying a father is "completely useless" at the time of their child's birth, which she said was a "disgusting moment".In a statement, L'Equipe apologised and said Pierron's comments were "very far removed" from its values. The presenter has apologised, but L'Equipe said she would remain off-air until the end of the current season of her show on 3 July.The reaction in football - and elsewhere - was united.Players 'like gladiators in the Colosseum'Doku played 86 minutes of Belgium's opening 1-1 draw with Egypt in Group G but missed their 0-0 draw against Iran.His absence was explained as illness, with wife Shireen due to give birth during the second week of July.However, Doku had actually flown to the UK for the birth of his son Praise.A Belgium statement on Monday said, external: "With the approval of and accompanied by one of our team doctors, Jeremy travelled to London to be with his wife for this unique occasion."Jeremy will rejoin the squad on Tuesday evening in Seattle as preparations continue for the next match against New Zealand."Before heading back to Europe the winger was adamant of the importance of being at the birth."If you ask me what I want, my answer is that nobody wants to miss the birth of their first child," Doku, 24, told Reuters."But I also ​know that football ​involves many ⁠other considerations....