L'Equipe presenter suspended after calling Doku's paternity leave 'disgraceful'

France Pierron has been suspended from her presenting role at L’Equipe following widespread backlash over comments she made about Manchester City and Belgium winger Jeremy Doku, who has indicated he will leave the 2026 World Cup to be present at the birth of his first child in July. According to French journalist Clement Garin, Pierron will not front L’Equipe de Choc on Monday after branding Doku’s decision “disgraceful”.

Doku’s wife Shireen is due to give birth during the second week of July, a window that overlaps with the World Cup quarter-finals. Speaking ahead of the tournament, the 24-year-old was candid about where his priorities lay. “It depends on when it happens, but it’s my first child, so I would definitely want to be there,” he said. “If you ask me what I want, my answer is that nobody wants to miss the birth of their first child. But I also know that football involves many other considerations. I know the federation supports its players and understands their situations. We’ll see what we can do.”

Pierron’s on-air remarks drew immediate and widespread condemnation, with many critics describing her view as outdated. The backlash intensified further when sources at the CGTV union alleged that L’Equipe’s management had initially instructed staff not to delete Pierron’s post when it began circulating widely online — only reversing course once the reaction became, in the union’s words, “unmanageable”. The editorial team reportedly does not understand the suspension, arguing that management had effectively sanctioned the original post before turning against its own journalist.

Doku was absent from Belgium’s goalless draw with Iran on Sunday due to a chest infection. Rudi Garcia’s side currently sit second in Group G, level on points with Iran but ahead of New Zealand and Egypt, with their final group game against New Zealand still to come. Should Belgium progress to the quarter-finals, Doku’s potential absence would represent a significant blow to a squad already leaning heavily on the experience of Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku.