French sports presenter France Pierron has reportedly been suspended by L’Equipe following controversial remarks she made regarding Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku’s decision to potentially leave the FIFA World Cup for the birth of his first child.
Pierron faced significant backlash after criticizing Doku’s stance on the show L’Équipe de Choc on Friday, June 19. The 24-year-old Belgian international has stated his intention to attend the birth of his baby boy, due in the second week of July, which coincides with the quarter-final stage of the World Cup being held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Doku, whose wife Shireen is expecting, expressed the personal dilemma he faces. “If you ask me what I want, my answer is that nobody wants to miss the birth of their first child,” Doku said. “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.”
Presenter’s remarks spark outrage
Pierron, however, took a strong opposing view during the broadcast, reported by The Mirror, describing Doku’s decision as “disgraceful.” She questioned his priorities, stating, “You can’t miss a World Cup. And now, you’re not going to the match to cut an umbilical cord? You have the chance to participate in a World Cup, and there are hundreds of footballers who would kill to be in your place, but you’re going to leave all that to go and witness the birth of your child, which is a disgusting moment, excuse me, where the father is useless, he has a role as an extra.”
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The comments quickly drew widespread criticism, leading Pierron to issue an apology on social media platform X. “I was expressing a personal opinion, within the framework of a debate. I understand that they may have shocked, hurt, or wounded some of you, and I am sorry for that,” she wrote, adding, “My intention has never been to minimise the place or role of fathers with their partner and their child.”
L’Equipe’s response and internal dissent
French outlet Clement Garin reported that Pierron has been suspended and would not be presenting L’Équipe de Choc on Monday. L’Equipe itself released a statement on June 21, 2026, at 19:00 CET, disassociating itself from the remarks. “On Friday, June 19, during a debate on the show ‘L’Équipe de Choc’, France Pierron made remarks that shocked many viewers of the L’Équipe channel,” the statement read, adding, “The team disassociates itself from these remarks which are very far removed from the Group’s values and apologizes to the footballer concerned and more generally to its fans.”
According to Clement Garin, the decision to suspend Pierron has caused internal friction within L’Equipe. Garin claimed on X that the editorial team did not understand the management’s decision, alleging that management initially ordered not to delete the controversial post when it began to go viral, only changing course and demanding its deletion when the backlash became “unmanageable.”
Meanwhile, Doku missed Belgium’s goalless draw with Iran on Sunday due to a chest infection. Belgium currently sits second in Group G behind Iran, ahead of New Zealand and Egypt by a single point.
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