Belgium player criticized for leaving World Cup for birth of child. "Father is useless" during birth

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7378645/2026/06/20/jeremy-doku-belgium-world-cup-first-child/



“It’s my first child, so I ‌would ⁠definitely want to be there,” Doku said earlier this week, per Reuters.

Doku told ​reporters his wife Shireen is due in the second week of July — when the tournament has reached the quarter-final stage — and, if Belgium are ​still involved, he wants to be at the birth.

“If you ask me what I want, my answer is that nobody wants to miss the birth of their first child. But I also ​know that football ​involves many ⁠other considerations,” he said. “I know the federation supports its players and understands their situations. We’ll see what we ​can do.”

On Friday, the L’Equipe channel presenter France Pierron said it was a “disgusting moment” to leave the international squad, adding that the “father is useless” during the birth process. “You are not going to cut an umbilical cord; you can’t miss a World Cup,” she said.

Pierron’s comments faced pushback from the former boxer Brahim Asloum, who responded: “A baby is your entire life. A World Cup is over when it is over.”

[valleyrogue]

1. WTF? Who cares about a stupid sport when it is a one-time thing to be there for the birth of a child?

I can't believe this world sometimes.

[wcmagumba]

2. France Pierron is a total douche bag...

[Ponietz]

3. Rage bait gets the clicks so the writers find it irresistible

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

5. NYT???

[MerryBlooms]

4. Go Daddy, Go! 🥰

[niyad]

6. First of all, the headline is incorrect. The player is talking about his wife

giving birth next month. Belgium may not even be in contention then.

As for the responses. What in the FUCKING HELL IS WRONG with some people??? That pierron person?

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

7. I should have written " considering leaving.."

[mopinko]

8. well, that asshole is flat out wrong.

he can advocate for his wife when she is in no position to advocate for herself.
childbirth is a life threatening business.

[niyad]

9. Excellent point. The maternal mortality rate for United Kingdom ranked

42nd in the world according to the latest data I could find. The US ranked 63rd

[mopinko]

10. i'm assuming that like in the u.s.,

it’s higher for black women. i cd b wrong.

[niyad]

11. Sadly, you are quite correct. Those numbers are averages.

[dalton99a]

12. Pierron: