Doku Backed Across Football After World Cup Childbirth
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- Jeremy Doku said he wants to leave Belgium's World Cup camp for the birth of his first child, expected in the second week of July, potentially forcing him to miss a quarter-final if Belgium advance.
- L'Equipe apologised after presenter France Pierron called a father 'completely useless' at birth and labelled the moment 'disgusting'; Pierron will not present her show Monday.
- Ollie Watkins rejected the 'disgusting' label, saying 'it only happens once — welcoming your first child to the world — and it is a blessing.'
- FIFA regulations mandate a minimum 14 weeks of paid maternity leave for female footballers but contain no specific paternity leave stipulation, leaving male players to negotiate case by case.
- Thomas Frank backed Doku's choice, saying 'football is the most important of not important things' and that leaving for the birth would be 'the right thing to do.'
- The PFA said players should not have to sacrifice 'fundamental family moments,' while the Fatherhood Institute's Jeremy Davies likened demands on players to 'gladiators in the Colosseum.'
- Fabian Delph left England's 2018 World Cup camp for his daughter's birth, while Ruben Neves watched his child's birth on his phone from Wolves' team bus in 2021.
Why it matters: FIFA's 14-week mandated maternity policy with no corresponding paternity provision leaves male players to negotiate family leave case by case, a structural gap now in the spotlight as Belgium's federation weighs whether to let Doku leave camp for a July birth that could collide with a quarter-final.
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