World governing football body, FIFA, has approved 14 weeks maternity leave for women players.

FIFA council approved this on Friday after it was proposed in November.

According to the council, a player’s club will be “obliged to reintegrate her after returning from maternity leave” and also provide necessary medical support.

In a video shared on FIFA’s Twitter handle, Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, stated that the gesture was meant to protect women footballers.

He said: “The players are the protagonist of the game, they are the most important part of the game and we have to make sure that we set the stage for them to shine.

“When it comes to female players, we should bring more stability to their careers. For example, if they need to take a maternity leave, then they don’t have to worry.”

TodayNG