Doku says he holds no grudge against journalist who criticised him at World Cup
Belgium winger Jeremy Doku says he is not angry at the journalist who criticised his decision to leave the national team camp during the World Cup to be present for his son's birth.
Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku has spoken publicly about the controversy that arose during the World Cup over his decision to travel back to the UK for the birth of his first child.
Doku's wife Shireen was due to give birth in the second week of July. Before the tournament began, Doku had told Reuters he intended to leave the Belgium camp for the birth even if his team were still competing. The comments drew sharp criticism from L'Equipe channel presenter France Pierron, who at the time called a father "completely useless" at the moment of his child's birth.
L'Equipe later apologised, saying Pierron's remarks were "very far removed" from the outlet's values. Pierron herself also apologised but was taken off air until the end of her show's season.
Doku missed the Iran game
Doku ultimately missed Belgium's goalless draw with Iran in the group stage, flying back to the UK for the birth of his son, Praise. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said he understood why people questioned the timing, acknowledging the situation looked almost too perfectly timed.
He said he did not wish anything bad on the journalist, who was later fired, and asked that people not be too harsh on her, noting it had simply been her opinion.
Doku had earlier played 86 minutes in Belgium's 1-1 draw with Egypt in the group stage before missing the following match, which was initially attributed to illness. Belgium's football federation later confirmed the player had travelled to London with the team's approval and was accompanied by one of the squad's doctors.
