Belgian national football team ace Jérémy Doku, who recently became a father to a newborn son.

During the World Cup, he flew to London, England, to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.

Doku, who started in the first group stage match against Egypt, rushed to London after receiving word that his wife's labor was imminent. Having been granted paternity leave by the team, he missed the second group stage match against Iran on June 22.

A heated debate recently erupted on a French sports channel over Doku's unprecedented decision to take "paternity leave" during the World Cup, drawing widespread attention.

First, the female presenter, who was reportedly furious over Doku's decision, poured out criticism:

[France (Presenter) / L'Équipe TV: Putting all of that aside to go watch the birth of a child? I'm sorry, but at the moment of birth, the father is completely useless. He's just an extra! He does nothing and just takes a single photo, and that's it.]

Male panelists hit back.

[Brahim (Panelist) / L'Équipe TV: You experience an incredible emotional impact! And you can just leave the national team and come back. I cannot agree with you. If you return after feeling that pure emotion... do you know how much unbelievable strength that gives you? The baby will always be with us, but far from being tired (after seeing the baby), he will be able to run three times faster!]

As the female presenter fiercely criticized the player, even making harsh remarks about whether he should fly 20 hours round-trip just to cut an umbilical cord while abandoning the World Cup—the dream goal of everyone who plays football—a male panelist listening to her shot back:

[Brahim (Panelist) / L'Équipe TV: That moment is the most important moment in my wife's life. If you love your wife, imagine it. It is the hardest, most emotionally overwhelming moment of her life. No matter how you wrap it up with other fancy excuses, the only person she wants by her side at that moment is her husband. Sincerely. For that reason alone, I understand everything completely—even though sports are everything in life to me as well.]

In the end, they also asked for the opinion of a former football player.

[Pierre Bouby (Former French Footballer) / L'Équipe TV: Speaking for myself, even if it were a Coupe de France match, I would have skipped it to go witness the birth. Seriously.]

[France (Presenter) / L'Équipe TV: I simply cannot understand your sentimentality.]

[Pierre Bouby (Former French Footballer) / L'Équipe TV: France, I've been thinking carefully while listening to you... You say so easily that the baby will always be there later. But what if, by some chance, something goes wrong during childbirth? Wouldn't you have to live with an indelible regret for the rest of your life?]

As the panelists continued to support Doku's decision, the presenter pointedly asked if they would let it slide just the same if Kylian Mbappé made the same decision right before the final.

[Male Panelist / L'Équipe TV: In the first place, the very idea of putting the national team jersey above everything else makes no sense. The World Cup can never take precedence over an individual's life.]

[France (Presenter) / L'Équipe TV: I don't mean they should deny their child, but at the moment of birth, they could just do something like a video call...]

[Male Panelist / L'Équipe TV: My child is far more precious than the national flag. France, please stop talking nonsense.]

One panelist also shared a quote by the legendary football manager Arrigo Sacchi:

[Yoyo (Panelist) / L'Équipe TV: "Football is only the most important of the unimportant things in the world." Strictly speaking, in the grand scheme of things, a football match doesn't really matter.]

Some evaluated that this 10-minute debate—clashing over sports versus life, or whether life itself is sports—fully reflected the changing times.

Doku is scheduled to rejoin the national team in Seattle, USA, on the evening of June 23, local time.

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Seo Byeong-uk | Design by Lee Su-min | Source: L'Équipe TV | Produced by SBS Digital News