LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) 鈥� In a landmark legal win for female soccer players, sport鈥檚 highest court has awarded Maja G枚thberg salary compensation from Lazio Women after the Italian club ended contract talks when it knew she was pregnant.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered Lazio to pay G枚thberg more than 70,000 euros ($79,000) in salary compensation and 鈥渋nfringement of her personality rights鈥� including 5% interest for the past two years, in a verdict published Wednesday by the global players鈥� union FIFPRO.
The former Sweden youth international took her appeal to CAS after losing her initial claim at a FIFA tribunal.
鈥淭he significance of this ruling goes beyond Maja G枚thberg and confirms clubs cannot simply walk away from an employment relationship, even if this is not fully formalized, once they learn a player is pregnant,鈥� FIFPRO鈥檚 Legal Director Alexandra Gomez Bruinewoud said.
G枚thberg played for Lazio Women in the 2023-24 season and helped the club win promotion to the top tier.
She discovered she was pregnant and told the club during talks that summer on a new contract for a gross salary of 64,000 euros ($72,500), the CAS ruling stated.
鈥淚mmediately afterwards, the relationship broke down,鈥� FIFPRO said. 鈥淟azio Women later argued that no contract existed and that the player no longer wished to continue.鈥�
Key evidence in the appeal win was WhatsApp messages sent during negotiations which showed that Lazio was aware of her pregnancy.
FIFA judges had previously decided G枚thberg had 鈥渇ailed to establish that the parties had concluded an employment contract,鈥� the CAS ruling said
鈥淐AS made clear that where the essential terms have been agreed and both parties act as though a contract exists, a player is protected,鈥� the union said. 鈥淭he CAS ruling also establishes an important precedent around the confidentiality of pregnancy-related medical information.鈥�
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