Belgium’s Jeremy Doku paternity leave comments have World Cup fans furious
Jeremy Doku is a star on the wing both for Belgium and for Manchester City.
That has him in a big spotlight at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which made his comments on a potential paternity leave quite eye-catching.
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Doku has told reporters that his wife Shireen is due to give birth to their first child during the second week of July.
And Doku has said that, if Belgium is still alive in the World Cup, he would return to Europe for the birth.
“It’s my first child, so I would definitely want to be there,” Doku said, via Reuters.
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Clearly, that has some Belgian football fans upset about the potential absence of Doku for a big game.
Belgium would potentially be playing in the quarterfinals at the same time that Shireen is due to give birth.
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“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,” Doku said. “I know the federation supports its players and understands their situations. We’ll see what we can do.”
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A French critic, France Pierron of L’Equipe, said on Friday, «You are not going to cut an umbilical cord; you can’t miss a World Cup.»
That comment, as you might imagine, brought some reverse pushback.
The Athletic quoted boxer Brahim Asloum as saying, «A baby is your entire life. A World Cup is over when it is over.»
It remains to be seen what exactly will happen, and it would require Belgium to advance that far, as well.
In the meantime, Doku is actually out of the side on Sunday against Iran due to illness. He’s still with the team for now, though.
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