Jeremy Doku, the Belgium and Manchester City winger, expressed that he is "not against" the journalist who criticized his decision to leave the Belgium camp during the World Cup for the birth of his first child.

Doku's wife, Shireen, was due to give birth in the second week of July, and he had informed Reuters before the tournament that he planned to attend the birth, regardless of Belgium's progress in the tournament.

This decision drew harsh criticism from France Pierron, a presenter at L'Equipe, who labeled a father as "completely useless" during the birth of their child. Following the backlash, L'Equipe issued an apology, stating that Pierron's remarks were "very far removed" from its values. The presenter also apologized but has been removed from the air until the end of her show's season.

Doku missed Belgium's 0-0 draw against Iran in the group stage to be present for the birth of his son, Praise. In a recent video on his YouTube channel, he acknowledged the criticism and the skepticism surrounding his decision, stating, "There was a lot of noise of course... I can understand why people felt like maybe this was orchestrated because it was too perfect."

He emphasized empathy towards Pierron, saying, "I don't want to come at her in a way that most people did. I don't want people to be too harsh on her. We don't know what she has experienced. It's her opinion." Doku played 86 minutes in Belgium's opening 1-1 draw with Egypt before missing the subsequent match, with his absence initially explained as due to illness.