Nigeria, March 20 -- World football governing body FIFA has mandated the compulsory inclusion of female coaches and officials in all women's teams participating in its competitions, as part of a broader push to promote gender equality in football.

The decision, announced after a FIFA Council meeting on Thursday, will take effect across all FIFA women's competitions going forward.

"To promote gender equality and to reflect the investments being made by FIFA across the game, all FIFA's women's competitions going forward will include the regulatory requirement that the head coach and/or at least one of the assistant coaches, as well as one member of the team's medical staff and two of the officials on the team bench, be female," FIFA said ...