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Belgium's Jeremy Doku volition not play successful his team's World Cup lucifer against Iran connected Sunday (June 21, 2026) owed to illness.
The Manchester City winger was ruled retired Saturday (June 20, 2026) by the Red Devils for the lucifer astatine SoFi Stadium successful the Los Angeles area.
Coach Rudi Garcia declined to remark astatine magnitude connected the information of Doku, who is believed to person been warring a respiratory occupation for astatine slightest 2 weeks.
“He can't play, and truthful we'll beryllium playing without him,” Garcia said done an interpreter during his pre-match quality conference.
“I knew since (Friday) evening that helium won't beryllium playing. I don't privation to get players to play if they're not medically up for the game. I tin get players to play adjacent if they're not 100% physically, but 100% medically is (more important). But I'm perfectly 100% definite we'll beryllium good and we'll beryllium winning tomorrow.”
The speedy Doku started Belgium's World Cup opener past Monday and played into the 86th infinitesimal of a 1-1 gully with Egypt.
Doku reportedly near signifier aboriginal owed to breathing issues during the week earlier the opening match.
“He was fine, and helium managed to play against Egypt," Garcia said.
“But since then, well, determination are ups and downs successful life, and the aesculapian unit decided to instrumentality things a small spot further and assistance him recover.”
Doku besides has been successful the spotlight successful caller days aft telling reporters that helium planned to permission the squad if indispensable for the commencement of his archetypal kid during the World Cup. Doku's woman is owed successful aboriginal July, during the knockout stages.
Garcia declined to accidental who volition regenerate Doku successful the starting lineup, but helium indicated that Romelu Lukaku astir apt volition beryllium a substitute again.
The 33-year-old striker missed astir each of past play astatine Napoli owed to a persistent hamstring injury.
Lukaku, Belgium's vocation goals leader, entered the lucifer against Egypt successful the 2nd fractional and instantly created the accidental that led to the tying goal. Garcia said Lukaku inactive isn't acceptable to play a afloat match.
“We bash request to beryllium careful, due to the fact that we could beryllium tempted to play him much than helium could,” Garcia said.
“But the extremity is to person him play to the extremity (of the World Cup). We cannot deterioration him retired early. And past there's competition. As agelong arsenic the others are acceptable to play, helium tin play a relation arsenic the ace sub. It's his relation par excellence. We besides could person him start, but I'm not definite helium could spell further than 60 minutes.
“He's not lone a bully striker for Belgium, but he's 1 of the champion successful football, and it's bully to person him here. He missed galore grooming sessions, truthful we're blessed to person him against each odds.” Belgium is 10th successful FIFA's satellite rankings, but it needs a beardown effect against Iran to enactment connected way to triumph its radical aft being held to that astonishing gully by Egypt. The Red Devils decorativeness group-stage play against New Zealand connected Friday.
If the Red Devils triumph their radical and their archetypal knockout-round match, they would look the co-host US connected July 6 successful the circular of 16 if the unbeaten Americans besides triumph their archetypal knockout-round lucifer against a third-place team.
