The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued a decisive ruling that Italian club Lazio Women unlawfully terminated the contract of Swedish midfielder Maja Gothberg after learning she was pregnant, a judgment that underscores the protections afforded to expectant footballers under FIFA’s maternity regulations.
CAS ordered the club to pay compensation to Gothberg for both the unlawful termination and the breach of confidentiality surrounding her medical information, emphasizing that the club failed to demonstrate any legitimate reason unrelated to her pregnancy.
A precedent built on prior battles
The decision builds on the earlier high‑profile dispute involving Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir, whose case helped shape the interpretation of maternity protections in the sport. Gothberg’s legal team was supported by the Swedish player union Spelarforeningen, which provided crucial assistance in navigating the complex arbitration process.
WhatsApp exchanges between Gothberg and Lazio officials played a pivotal role in establishing the existence of an employment relationship and in revealing the club’s awareness of the pregnancy, a factor that the tribunal cited as central to its findings.
Implications for the wider football community
Beyond the monetary award, the ruling sends a clear message that pregnancy should not be viewed as a problem or a justification for denying a player’s labor rights. It reinforces the confidentiality of pregnancy‑related medical data and sets a benchmark for how clubs must handle such matters moving forward.
FIFA’s maternity regulations, bolstered in 2024, were put to the test in this case, and the tribunal’s affirmation of those rules signals a strengthening of safeguards for pregnant athletes worldwide.