Jeremy Doku wants to fly home to attend the birth of his first child - but why has that proved controversial in some quarters?

The Manchester City winger is due to become a father next month and says he wants to leave the Belgium camp to be at the birth, even if they are still at the World Cup. L'Equipe channel presenter France Pierron criticised him, saying a father is "completely useless" at the time of their child's birth, which she said was a "disgusting moment". In a statement, L'Equipe apologised and said Pierron's comments were "very far removed" from its values. The presenter also apologised, and reports in France said she would not present her show on Monday. Doku played 86 minutes of Belgium's opening 1-1 draw with Egypt in Group G but missed their 0-0 draw against Iran because of illness. His wife Shireen is due to give birth during the second week of July, which could mean her husband missing a quarter-final if Belgium have progressed that far. "If you ask me what I want, my answer is that nobody wants to miss the birth of their first child," Doku, 24, told Reuters. "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." "I think someone labelled it disgusting and I think for a start that's not a way to label a birth," he said. "I've seen what my wife had to go through and that was quite smooth sailing but I know family members and friends that haven't had it that way.