Jeremy Doku has sparked a heated public debate after revealing he intends to leave Belgium's World Cup camp in the United States to be present for the birth of his first child, even if it means departing mid-tournament.

The Manchester City winger, 24, told Reuters that his wife Shireen is due to give birth in the second week of July — a period that would coincide with the quarter-final stage of the competition if Belgium progress that far.

"It's my first child, so I would definitely want to be there. If you ask me what I want, my answer is that nobody wants to miss the birth of their first child. But I also know that football involves many other considerations. We'll see what we can do," Doku said.

Presenter's remarks draw widespread backlash

L'Equipe channel presenter France Pierron ignited a fierce reaction after posting a message on the Facebook page of the French sports publication L'Equipe, in which she described fathers as "completely useless" at the moment of their child's birth.

"The World Cup is an incredible joy. There are hundreds of footballers who would kill to be in your shoes. It might never happen again in your life," Pierron wrote. "You're living out a childhood dream, yet you're going to walk away from it all to attend the birth of your child — a disgusting moment, if you'll pardon the expression, where the dad is completely useless."

Support pours in for Doku

Doku received a wave of online support following Pierron's remarks. Among those who came to his defence was retired boxer Brahim Asloum, who claimed light-flyweight gold for France at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

"A baby is your entire life. A World Cup is over when it is over," Asloum wrote.

Later on Saturday, Pierron posted a statement on her X account in which she attempted to clarify her position and apologised for any offence caused.

"I was expressing a personal opinion, within the context of a contentious exchange. I understand that they may have shocked, hurt, or wounded some of you, and I am sorry for that. My intention has never been to minimise the place or role of fathers with their partner and their child," she said.

Doku out against Iran

Belgium confirmed on Saturday that Doku will miss their second World Cup group stage match against Iran, scheduled for 20:00 BST, due to illness. Rudi Garcia's side drew their opening fixture against Egypt 1-1.