Watkins defends Doku’s statement of wanting to attend child’s birth during WC
The Belgian was criticized by L’Équipe's France Pierron recently. L’Équipe has since disavowed comments by Pierron and also apologized to Doku.
Belgium's Jeremy Doku, top, and Egypt's Marawan Attia battle for the ball during the World Cup Group G soccer match in Seattle, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) England international Ollie Watkins defended Belgium player Jeremy Doku for wanting to be present for the birth of his child during the World Cup after the Belgian was criticized by L’Équipe’s France Pierron recently. L’Équipe has since disavowed comments by Pierron and also apologized to Doku in a statement late Sunday and said the comments by Pierron did not represent its values.
“Someone labelled it disgusting and I think for a start that’s not a way to label a birth. He said it only happens once, your first child. Welcoming them to the world is a blessing — you don’t get that opportunity a lot. There’s a lot of times where you’re away from family and friends during the season and it’s a very difficult period. So to miss that would be tough, and I see where he’s coming from, I think he has all the right to go back and be there,” Watkins said reacting to Pierron’s statement.
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