, external<\/span><\/a>: “With the approval of and accompanied by one of our team doctors, Jeremy travelled to London to be with his wife for this unique occasion.<\/p>\n“Jeremy will rejoin the squad on Tuesday evening in Seattle as preparations continue for the next match against New Zealand.”<\/p>\n
Before heading back to Europe the winger was adamant of the importance of being at the birth.<\/p>\n
“If you ask me what I want, my answer is that nobody wants to miss the birth of their first child,” Doku, 24, told Reuters.<\/p>\n
“But I also \u200bknow that football \u200binvolves many \u2060other considerations. I know the federation supports its players and understands their situations. We’ll see what we \u200bcan do.”<\/p>\n
England striker Ollie Watkins, who has two children, backed Doku.<\/p>\n
“I think someone labelled it disgusting and I think for a start that’s not a way to label a birth,” he said. “I’ve seen what my wife had to go through and that was quite smooth sailing but I know family members and friends that haven’t had it that way.<\/p>\n
“It only happens once – welcoming your first child to the world – and it is a blessing. There’s a lot of times where you’re away from family and friends during the season and it’s very difficult, so to miss that would be tough and I see where he’s coming from.”<\/p>\n
The Professional Footballers’ Association said demands placed on players should not be at the expense of “fundamental family moments”.<\/p>\n
“While every situation is different, we believe players should be supported in balancing their professional responsibilities with important life events,” a PFA spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
“Supporting players as people, not just athletes, is an important part of creating a healthy professional working environment.”<\/p>\n
The Fatherhood Institute, which supports men as hands-on fathers and caregivers, also backed Doku.<\/p>\n
“It makes me think of gladiators in the Colosseum,” deputy chief executive Jeremy Davies told BBC Sport.<\/p>\n
“We want these men to be these heroic figures who exist for our entertainment. They get paid lots of money but there are some things that are worth a lot more.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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