World Cup row erupts over Man City player who plans to abandon his team in knockouts for birth of his first child

Belgium winger Jeremy Doku has come under fire for saying that he intends to leave the World Cup to attend the birth of his first child.

Doku's wife Shireen is heavily pregnant and is due to give birth in the second week of July, a timeframe that coincides with the tournament's quarter-final stage.

Speaking earlier this week, the Man City star told reporters he would return home to support his partner even if Belgium remain in the World Cup at that point.

'It's my first child, so I would definitely want to be there,' Doku said. '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. I know the federation supports its players and understands their situations. We’ll see what we ​can do.'

However, this led to a backlash in some quarters, including from L'Equipe presenter France Pierron.

She claimed it would be a 'disgusting moment' to leave the squad, adding that the 'father is useless' during the birth process.

'The World Cup is an incredible joy,' she said. 'There are hundreds of footballers who would kill to be in your shoes. It might never happen again in your life.

'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.

'You are not going to cut an umbilical cord; you can’t miss a World Cup.'

Pierron's comments received their own backlash, with many suggesting that Doku should be present for such a special moment in his life.

The presenter remained strong in her views though, and added: 'He is going to waste 10 hours, he will be exhausted and have an emotional meltdown. Your baby will always be there.'

She later released a statement on her social media page slightly backtracking in her stance.

Pierron claimed her 'intention has never been to minimise the place or role of fathers with their partner and their child'.

She continued: 'I was expressing a personal opinion, within the context of a contentious exchange.

'These remarks commit only me and in no way reflect a collective position. I understand that they may have shocked, hurt, or wounded some of you, and I am sorry for that.'

Doku, 24, played 86 minutes of Belgium's World Cup opener against Egypt on Monday, which they drew 1-1.

Rudi Garcia's side take on Iran later on Sunday, before they face New Zealand on June 26.

Doku was expected to feature in both group games, but on Saturday night, the Belgian FA announced that he would miss the Iran game due to illness.