Doc moved to the UK after the French presenter was removed from the show after he said the father was “useless” during the birth.
Published June 22, 2026
The Belgian Football Association has announced that Jeremy Doku has become a father, days after the player’s controversial plan to skip the FIFA World Cup to attend the birth of his child.
After consultation with medical staff, Doku was allowed to temporarily leave the Red Devils ahead of last Sunday’s match against Iran and join his wife in London, where they gave birth to a baby boy, Preez, the federation announced on Monday.
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Team physician Brahim Haseen said: “Jeremy received word before yesterday’s game that she was about to give birth.”
Doc had already been ruled out of Sunday’s game due to illness.
“He had already received proper treatment for several days, which allowed him to fly without any medical risks to spend this special moment with his family,” the doctor said.
“Mother, father and baby are all doing very well,” he added.
Doku, who is expected to join up with his teammates in Seattle on Tuesday, is considered one of Belgium’s best young players and has made a solid but modest start to the season, with all of his matches so far tied.
The 24-year-old revealed before his first game against the Red Devils that he wanted to be present for the birth of his first child, which drew criticism from some quarters.
The host of L’Equipe TV, France’s historic sports newspaper channel, questioned the decision, saying hundreds of soccer players had died to play in the World Cup and yet fathers were “useless” when giving birth.
The comment caused an uproar online, and L’Equipe was forced to apologize and distance itself from the comment. The presenter was removed from the show.
Doc started the Belgium national team’s first match against Egypt, but was substituted after failing to make much of an impact.
A lackluster scoreless draw against Iran in Los Angeles drew scorn from the Belgian media, who criticized the team’s performance.
Belgium, who are rebuilding after losing in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup showed their “golden generation” has caught up with them, will be assured of a place in the last 32 with a win over New Zealand in Friday’s final group game.
