Maja Göthberg, the Swedish footballer whose contract was ended by Lazio because of her pregnancy, has won the case and the Italian club has been ordered by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to pay compensation and moral damages: the court rules that they unlawfully ended her employment due to pregnancy.
This happened during the summer of 2024, when after a successful 2023/24 season in which Göthberg made 29 appearances to help the team be promoted back to the Italian first division of women's football, the Swedish player found out she was pregnant, and informed the club, even if she was not legally obliged to do so. After that moment, the negotiations of a new contract, which had been going smoothly but had not been formalised, suddenly stopped.
Nothing was signed, she was not given a new contract and Lazio claimed that Göthberg had chosen not to continue playing for the club, but that was not true. Göthberg defended that the club had withdrawn her contract after knowing about her pregnancy (and had disclosed that information, which is confidential medical data, with other people including other players). Since there was no documentation of the new contract, he had to base his defence on WhatsApp conversations.
"This case was never only about football: it was about being treated fairly and with respect at an important moment in my life. The ruling sends a message that pregnancy should never be treated as a problem or a reason to deny a player labour opportunities", said Gothberg.
Göthberg was represented during her legal case by Swedish players' union Spelarforeningen as well as FIFPRO, the main players' union in the world. "This case shows that FIFA's Maternity Regulations are not just words on paper and that they provide real protections for players," said FIFPRO's Legal Director Alexandra Gomez Bruinewoud. "The significance of this ruling goes beyond Maja Gothberg and confirms clubs cannot simply walk away from an employment relationship, even if this is not fully formalised, once they learn a player is pregnant".
