France Pierron faces backlash after saying fathers are useless in childbirth

France Pierron was suspended from L’Equipe de Choc after saying childbirth was “a disgusting moment” and that “the dad is useless” while discussing Jérémy Doku’s plan to leave the World Cup to be with his first child. The comments on L’Equipe’s French sports channel turned a studio argument into a broader dispute over how elite football now treats paternity and family leave.

Doku, the Belgium national team winger at Manchester City, said he wanted to be present when his wife, Shireen, gives birth in July. His decision reflected a growing expectation in elite sport that major family milestones can take precedence over a squad call-up, especially when a player is speaking about the birth of a first child rather than a routine absence.

The backlash hardened when former boxer Brahim Asloum challenged Pierron live on air, pushing back against the idea that fathers have no role in childbirth. The reaction was not limited to one exchange in the studio. It captured a wider shift in how broadcasters, teams and fans judge male athletes who choose family over competition, and how quickly old assumptions about fathers can sound out of step.

Pierron later apologized, saying she did not intend to minimize fathers’ roles and that her comments were a personal opinion expressed during a debate. She said she understood they may have “shocked, hurt, or wounded” viewers. L’Equipe also distanced itself, saying the remarks were far removed from the group’s values and apologizing to Doku and its audience.

Pierron was suspended from the programme on June 22, three days after the backlash erupted on June 19. The channel had already faced similar criticism in 2019, when it apologized over remarks about PSG and Brazil defender Marquinhos, underscoring how family, duty and masculinity in sport continue to provoke the same fault lines on French television.