Belgium forward Jeremy Doku faces a personal dilemma regarding his World Cup participation as his wife Shireen is due to give birth in the second week of July, coinciding with the tournament's quarter-final stage. The Manchester City attacker has expressed his desire to be present for the birth of his first child while balancing his commitment to his national team.
"It depends on when it happens, but it's my first child, so I would definitely want to be there," Doku told Reuters. "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."
Should Belgium progress to the knockout stages as expected, Doku may face a genuine conflict between family and football. The federation is understood to be supportive of players' individual circumstances, but the exact arrangements regarding any potential absence remain unclear.
Doku's potential unavailability in knockout stages could affect Belgium's squad depth and attack ratings; this may shift odds on Belgium's quarter-final progression and team-performance markets if critical matches are impacted.
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