(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)GENEVA – Female soccer players should soon get their maternity rights protected under new employment rules announced Thursday by FIFA.
“The idea is to protect female players before, during and after childbirth,” FIFA chief legal officer Emilio Garcia said on a conference call.
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.
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.
The drafted rules aim to “protect contractual stability, achieve greater transparency and make sure that coaches also get paid on time,” FIFA said.