World champion Alex Morgan became a mother in May 2020
Photo: Jean-Philippe Ksiazek / AFP
According to a new Fifa set of rules, professional female footballers should soon be able to take paid maternity leave worldwide.
The world football association presented corresponding minimum standards that should apply in all leagues worldwide.
Accordingly, the players should be able to go on maternity leave for at least 14 weeks and receive at least two thirds of their contractually agreed salary.
Fifa wants to prevent contract terminations during pregnancy.
The reintegration of women after pregnancy should also be promoted by the associations according to the wishes of the world association.
"We want women to be professional footballers, but at the same time to be able to have a family," said Fifa women's football representative Sarai Bareman in a press conference.
So far, the topics of maternity protection and occupational health and safety during pregnancy have not yet been legally defined in the world association.
Fifa President Gianni Infantino emphasized that women's football was taking its "next stage of development".
Trainers should be better off
Fifa also wants to create a new set of rules for coaches.
According to this, coaching contracts should be legally better protected and placed on the same level as player contracts within the association.
The Football Interest Groups Committee, which includes representatives from clubs, leagues, players, member associations and confederations, unanimously endorsed the new provisions.
The new rules for coaches and pregnant soccer players will be submitted to the Fifa Council for approval in December.
Icon: The mirror
mfu / dpa