L'Équipe apologizes after controversial statements about Doku and the birth of the first child

The French sports channel L'Équipe apologized to Jeremy Doku on Sunday evening after a fuss about comments made by presenter France Pierron. In the program L'Équipe de Choc, Pierron called childbirth "a disgusting moment, sorry, where the father is useless", and questioned Doku's dedication to the tournament. “There are hundreds of footballers who would kill to be in your position,” said Pierron, who also suggested that Doku is “living a childhood dream that may never come back.”

Doku, 24 years old and a starting player for Belgium, had indicated that he wanted to be present at the birth of his son in July - to coincide with the knockout phase. “Nobody wants to miss a birth,” the Manchester City winger previously said.

Pierron's statements caused widespread outrage. L'Équipe distanced itself from the presenter's words in a statement and apologized, adding that the comments "do not reflect the values ​​of the channel". It is unclear whether Pierron will appear in the planned broadcast on Monday.


Doku received support from an unexpected source: England striker Ollie Watkins called having a first child “something that only happens once” and a “blessing”. He pointed out that it is not up to outsiders to determine what choices a player makes in his private life.

From a sporting point of view, Belgium could use Doku's input. The winger missed Sunday's goalless draw (0-0) against Iran due to illness. The team previously played 1-1 against Egypt, so the Belgians have two points after two games. In the last group match, Friday evening against New Zealand, at least a point seems necessary to reach the last 32.

Belgium already failed in the group stage at the 2022 World Cup and is in danger of being eliminated early again after the draw against Iran.

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