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FIFA, the international governing body of football, is set to introduce new maternity measures to protect the rights of female professional footballers.

If approved by the FIFA council, the new rules would include a mandatory 14 weeks maternity leave on at least two-thirds of contracted salary. And on the athletes’ return to the game after maternity leave, clubs will now have to ‘reintegrate female players and provide adequate medical and physical support’.

USA striker Jessica McDonald was the only mother in the country's World Cup-winning squad last year.

She tells Caroline Barker that she’s had coaches in the past who have used her son as a reason to criticise her when she’s had a bad game and that she knows plenty of players who have given up on football in order to start a family.

Photo: Jessica McDonald celebrates winning the 2019 World Cup with her son Jeremiah (Getty Images)