Jeremy Doku will not play in Belgium's crucial World Cup match against Iran on Sunday, with the Manchester City winger sidelined due to illness amid a separate controversy over his plan to leave the tournament to attend the birth of his first child.
Belgium faces must-win scenario in Group G
Following a disappointing 1-1 draw with Egypt last week, Belgium head to Seattle knowing that anything other than a win could lead to an embarrassing early exit. Belgium, Iran, Egypt and New Zealand are tied on one point in Group G, so victory for any of the teams in their second game should be enough to secure a place in the knockouts.
Doku played 86 minutes of the Egypt draw and is widely regarded as one of the Red Devils' key players, having recorded eight goals and 14 assists for City last season. But ahead of Sunday's kick-off, it was announced that the winger would play no part in the Iran clash, with Romelu Lukaku coming into the starting XI.
Illness, not controversy, behind Doku's absence
The 24-year-old's absence is not related to the criticism he has faced for wanting to leave the USA mid-tournament to attend the birth of his first child in England. In a fiery outburst, L'Équipe journalist France Pierron said she was 'outraged' with Doku and claimed 'the father serves no purpose' during childbirth. Pierron has since apologised for her comments, which have received fierce backlash and sparked an international debate over what Doku should do.
Nevertheless, the reason the winger misses the Iran game is solely because he is ill. Doku travelled to the World Cup battling a cold but it appeared he had overcome it. But after suffering a 'relapse with a respiratory infection', medical staff have deemed it too risky to play him tonight.
'It is better to let him rest now and then work towards the final group match against New Zealand,' said Vincent Mannaert, the Royal Belgian Football Association's sporting director.
'I don't want to get players to play when they're not 100 per cent medically,' Belgium manager Rudi Garcia added. 'He managed to play against Egypt. Since then, there are ups and downs in life and the medical staff decided to take things a little bit further and give him time to recover.'
Lukaku returns to starting XI
While Doku is not available, star striker Lukaku's return to the starting XI completes his long recovery from injury after a productive 24 minutes off the bench against Egypt. Belgium vs Iran kicks off at 9pm UK time and can be watched on ITV1.
