Zurich: Fifa introduced maternity leave in women’s games. The rules for the same was proposed last month and was approved by the Council on Friday (4 December). According to this, pregnant players must be paid at least two-thirds of their salary during their maternity leave. They will be getting leave for up to 14 weeks.
Clubs will be allowed to sign temporary replacements but the said player/players have to be reintegrated when they return, along with adequate medical support. The clubs would be unable to terminate the contract of a player on the basis of their pregnancy. A club, who fails to adhere to this set of rules would have to pay compensation to the player as well as sporting sanctions – and potentially a fine.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said to the media, “If we are serious about boosting the women’s game, we have to look at all these aspects. Female players need to have stability in their careers and if they take maternity leave, they should not have to worry about when they are ready to play again.”
