Female soccer players should soon get their maternity rights protected under new employment rules announced by FIFA.<\/p>\n
The governing body of soccer is preparing to mandate clubs to allow at least 14 weeks of maternity leave paid at a minimum two-thirds of a player's full salary. National soccer bodies can insist on more generous terms.<\/p>\n
"Her club will be under an obligation to reintegrate her into football activity and provide adequate ongoing medical support," FIFA said.<\/p>\n
Any club that ended a player's contract for becoming pregnant faces having to pay compensation and a fine, and being banned from the transfer market for one year.<\/p>\n
"The idea is to protect female players before, during and after childbirth," FIFA chief legal officer Emilio Garcia said on a conference call.<\/p>\n
The move is seen as a key step in professionalizing women's soccer \u2014 and respecting players' family lives \u2014 after a successful 2019 World Cup and more investment by elite clubs in having a women's team.<\/p>\n
United States forward Alex Morgan, a World Cup winner last year, signed with Tottenham in September, four months after giving birth to her first child. She played her first game this month.<\/p>\n
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The rules, created with help from world players' union FIFPro, are expected to be approved by the FIFA Council next month and would take effect on Jan. 1.<\/p>\n
Although FIFA's judicial bodies have not been presented with contract disputes over maternity rights, Garcia targeted getting ahead of potential problems in the fast-growing women's game.<\/p>\n
"We think these rules are part of common sense," he said of the move, which follow International Labor Organisation standards on compensating maternity leave.<\/p>\n