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By Megan Armstrong
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As usual, the internet blew something entirely out of proportion.
Last week, Belgium and Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku disclosed that his wife, Shireen, was due to give birth in the second week of July, and he said he "would definitely want to be there" for his first child's birth, regardless of Belgium's position in the 2026 FIFA men's World Cup.
L'Equipe presenter France Pierron slammed Doku for even considering missing time at a World Cup, per The Athletic's Colin Millar. Pierron later issued a lengthy statement clarifying that she was "expressing a personal opinion" and apologizing if her comments offended anyone.
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Pierron's commentary caused a dust up on social media, and all that outrage was for absolutely nothing.
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The Belgian football federation announced Tuesday that Doku successfully traveled from Belgium's training base in Renton, Washington, home to London to be with Shireen for the birth of their son, Praise, on Monday, June 22.
"He was accompanied by my colleague, Dr. Brecht De Coninck," Belgium team doctor Brahim Hacene said in a statement, in part, per Reuters. "Everything went perfectly, and the mother, father, and baby are all doing wonderfully. Jeremy will rejoin the squad [Tuesday] evening in Seattle."
Doku also released a statement via his Instagram Story.
"Thank you to everyone for the love, prayers and kind messages over the past few days," Doku wrote. "Shireen and Praise are doing great, and my heart is full of gratitude. Welcoming my son into the world is one of the greatest blessings God has ever given me."
Doku continued, "Thank you to the team for the support, now it's time to get back to football and represent my country on the biggest stage."
Doku concluded with the Bible verse James 1:17.
The Red Devils have had a disappointing World Cup run so far, beginning with a 1-1 draw with Egypt and continuing with a 0-0 draw with Iran.
Doku was not available for the match against Iran because, as the Associated Press reported, he has "been fighting a respiratory problem for at least two weeks."
Belgium's best chance, by far, to advance to the knockout stage is to beat New Zealand in their final Group G match on Friday, June 26. If they draw, the situation gets much dicier, per ESPN.
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