Landmark legal win compensates pregnant soccer player who lost contract

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LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — In a landmark legal win for female soccer players, sport’s highest court has awarded Maja Göthberg 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 Göthberg more than 70,000 euros ($79,000) in salary compensation and “infringement of her personality rights” including 5% interest for the past two years, in a verdict published Wednesday by the global players’ union FIFPRO.

The former Sweden youth international took her appeal to CAS after losing her initial claim at a FIFA tribunal.

“The significance of this ruling goes beyond Maja Göthberg 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,” FIFPRO’s Legal Director Alexandra Gomez Bruinewoud said.

Göthberg 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.

“Immediately afterwards, the relationship broke down,” FIFPRO said. “Lazio Women later argued that no contract existed and that the player no longer wished to continue.”

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 Göthberg had “failed to establish that the parties had concluded an employment contract,” the CAS ruling said

“CAS made clear that where the essential terms have been agreed and both parties act as though a contract exists, a player is protected,” the union said. “The CAS ruling also establishes an important precedent around the confidentiality of pregnancy-related medical information.”

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