\n<\/p>\n
Fifa regulations state maternity leave for female footballers should be “a minimum period of 14 weeks’ paid absence” – eight weeks of which must be after the birth.<\/p>\n
There is no specific stipulation on paternity leave, leaving those in the men’s game to juggle their responsibilities.<\/p>\n
One club had a car on standby outside the ground for a player whose partner was soon due to give birth, while one manager at a top-flight European club did not travel to a match to be with his wife as she was about to have their second child.<\/p>\n
Instead of being in the dugout, he watched the game on TV and relayed instructions to his coaching staff.<\/p>\n
“I was on the earpiece to the bench and 10 minutes into the game she started getting labour pains,” said the manager, who is now working in the Championship.<\/p>\n
“We were 2-1 up at half-time but she was getting more into labour. I rang the hospital to say we were going to come in, but had to stop because we got a penalty.<\/p>\n
“We scored, I knew we won the game, and we came right in. Our daughter was born two hours later.<\/p>\n
“It’s less common with managers because they are typically older but the game doesn’t stop… you need to win the next game.”<\/p>\n
Doku would certainly not be the first player to put attending his child’s birth before football.<\/p>\n
In 2018, Fabian Delph left England’s World Cup camp in Russia<\/a> to return to the UK for the birth of his daughter.<\/p>\n David Silva, meanwhile, missed two Manchester City<\/a> matches following the premature arrival of his son in 2018.<\/a><\/p>\n And former Manchester United<\/a> goalkeeper David de Gea was given extended leave during the Covid pandemic when his partner Edurne gave birth to their daughter in 2021.<\/p>\n Others, though, have not been present.<\/p>\n Just this weekend, Norway defender Leo Ostigard watched his son being born on FaceTime, external<\/span><\/a> while at the World Cup.<\/p>\n Ruben Neves had a similar experience in January 2021 – watching the birth of his third child on his phone from Wolves<\/a>‘ team bus after a 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace<\/a>.<\/p>\n His wife had returned to Portugal as her doctor was there, but Neves’ plans to join her were scuppered by travel restrictions because of the pandemic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n