Troy Deeney slams French journalist over Doku criticisms amid childbirth saga

Former English footballer Troy Deeney has defended Belgium winger Jérémy Doku following criticism from L’Équipe presenter France Pierron.

Doku was criticised for saying he wanted to leave Belgium’s World Cup camp to be with his wife during the birth of their first child.

His wife, Shireen, is due to give birth in the second week of July, and Doku intends to return home even if the Red Devils are still in the tournament, which would then be at the quarter-final stage.

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However, the Manchester City player’s plan to leave the USA and return home attracted fierce criticism from Pierron, who described fathers as “completely useless” at the time of childbirth.

Troy Deeney condemned the remarks, arguing that they undermine the essence of fatherhood, as childbirth is deeply significant to every parent.

The football pundit stated that the decision would have been discussed and agreed upon between the player and the team, making Pierron's criticism unwarranted. He bluntly told her to “shut up” over the issue.

“I’ve heard what the lady said. I think having a child is obviously the greatest thing any human can do, in my opinion. And who are you to question somebody else’s desire to be there with their child and their family? I think this would have been a conversation with Belgium beforehand.

"They know it’s coming. We live in a new world now where everyone wants clickbait and headlines. But I miss the good old days where you could just tell someone, just shut up. Because she’s talking absolute nonsense,” Deeney said on talkSPORT.

Meanwhile, journalist Pierron has apologised for describing childbirth as "disgusting" and for questioning Doku's decision.

Watch the video below:

@talksport Troy Deeney slams French Pierron after her controversial opinion about Jeremy Doku attending the birth of his first child! 🧑‍🍼🤬🔥 #fifaworldcup #doku #pierron ♬ original sound - talkSPORT