France Pierron had a microphone, an opinion, and no filter. On Friday, June 20, the host of the program ‘L’Équipe de Choc’ on the French channel L’Équipe decided to criticize Jeremy Doku live, the 24-year-old Manchester City winger and star of the Belgian national team at the 2026 World Cup, for wanting to leave the tournament to be present for the birth of his first child. Her argument: that childbirth is “a disgusting moment where the father is good for nothing”.
What Pierron ignored —or chose to ignore— is that Shireen, Doku’s wife, is due to give birth in the first days of July, a date that coincides exactly with the quarterfinals. Doku himself had said it plainly: “No one wants to miss a birth.” The club was even arranging a private jet so he could travel to Europe and come back. It was not abandonment. It was fatherhood.
The reaction on social media was immediate and massive. England striker Ollie Watkins publicly came out to defend Doku. The channel L’Équipe issued an official statement on Sunday distancing itself from the comments and apologizing directly to the player. Pierron also apologized on X, clarifying that it was “just her personal opinion” and that she never meant to minimize the role of fathers. But the damage was already done, on air, in front of millions of people.
