By Lori Ewing
June 24 (Reuters) - A recent Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling in favour of Swedish defender Maja Gothberg has been hailed by player advocates and legal experts as a landmark decision for women's football and pregnancy-related contract termination.
CAS ruled earlier this month that Italian club Lazio Women had unlawfully ended Gothberg's employment after learning she was pregnant and ordered the club to pay compensation, according to global players' union FIFPRO.
The court also
found that Gothberg's pregnancy had been disclosed without her consent, establishing a precedent regarding the confidentiality of pregnancy-related medical information.
Reuters has contacted Lazio for comment.
The case stems from the summer of 2024, after Gothberg helped Lazio secure promotion to Italy's top flight.
Although no new contract had been formally signed, CAS found that the player and club had agreed on the essential terms of a renewed employment relationship through their communications.
Gothberg informed the club that she was pregnant before the deal was finalised, after which the relationship broke down. Lazio later argued no contract existed, while Gothberg maintained the club withdrew from the agreement because of her pregnancy.
The dispute eventually reached CAS after an initial defeat for Gothberg before FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber. In its ruling, CAS concluded that Lazio had unlawfully disadvantaged the player because of her pregnancy and awarded salary compensation and moral damages.
"This case was never only about football: it was about being treated fairly and with respect at an important moment in my life," Gothberg said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The ruling sends a message that pregnancy should never be treated as a problem or a reason to deny a player labour opportunities."
The ruling is the first time CAS has found that a football club unlawfully ended an employment relationship because of a player's pregnancy. It is also one of the most significant tests so far of FIFA's maternity regulations, which were strengthened in 2024.
CAS said the burden fell on the club to prove its actions were unrelated to Gothberg's pregnancy once an employment relationship and its termination had been established. According to FIFPRO, the court found Lazio failed to do so.
The panel also determined that information about a player's pregnancy constituted sensitive medical data and should be protected accordingly.
CAS found Gothberg's pregnancy was disclosed without her consent after she informed the club, and awarded compensation related to the breach.
"This case shows that FIFA's Maternity Regulations are not just words on paper and that they provide real protections for players," FIFPRO legal director Alexandra Gomez Bruinewoud said in a statement.
"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."
The case follows the high-profile maternity dispute involving Iceland international Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir and Olympique Lyonnais in 2022, which established that players are entitled to contractual and salary protections during pregnancy.
The Gothberg decision extends those protections by confirming clubs cannot avoid maternity obligations by refusing to continue an employment relationship after learning a player is pregnant, FIFPRO said.
WhatsApp messages exchanged between Gothberg and Lazio played a central role in establishing both the existence of an employment relationship and the club's awareness of her pregnancy, according to FIFPRO, underscoring the importance of digital communications in football contract disputes.
Gothberg was assisted by Swedish player union Spelarforeningen.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
