Landmark CAS Ruling Orders Lazio to Compensate Maja Göthberg Over Pregnancy Dispute

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has delivered a landmark ruling in favor of Swedish defender Maja Göthberg, finding that Italian club Lazio Women unlawfully terminated her employment due to her pregnancy. The decision marks a watershed moment for labor rights in the rapidly professionalizing women's game.[1][2]

The ruling is the first time CAS has established a legal precedent regarding pregnancy-related contract terminations in professional football. It serves as a definitive test of FIFA’s recently strengthened maternity regulations, sending a clear message to clubs worldwide about the strict enforceability of player protections.[3]

The dispute centered on the summer of 2024. Göthberg, a former Sweden youth international, had just helped Lazio Women secure promotion to Italy’s top tier during a successful 2023-24 campaign. Following the promotion, the 28-year-old entered negotiations to renew her contract with the Rome-based club.[2][3]

By late June, both parties had verbally agreed on the key terms of a new one-year deal, including salary figures and housing arrangements. However, the formal paperwork had not yet been officially signed by the player and the club's management.[2][3]

In mid-July, before putting pen to paper, Göthberg discovered she was pregnant. Despite having no legal obligation to disclose her medical status at that specific stage of the unfinalized contract process, she chose to inform Lazio's sporting director transparently.[2][3]

According to evidence presented to CAS, Lazio immediately withdrew from the contract agreement upon learning the news. Furthermore, the club's management requested medical certification, and Göthberg's pregnancy was subsequently disclosed to her teammates without her consent, causing significant emotional distress.[3]

Göthberg initially took her grievance to FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber but lost the case in March 2025, prompting her to escalate the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.[2][3]

During the CAS proceedings, Lazio's defense hinged on the technicality that the proposed new contract had never been formally signed. The club argued that without a signature, they were not legally bound to finalize the employment relationship once the player's availability changed.[3]

CAS, however, ruled decisively in the player's favor. The tribunal determined that a valid employment relationship already existed based on the agreed-upon terms, and that Lazio had unlawfully disadvantaged Göthberg specifically because of her pregnancy.[3]

The court ordered the Italian club to pay Göthberg compensation for the lost salary, as well as moral damages for the unauthorized and unethical disclosure of her sensitive medical information.[3]

"This case was never only about football: it was about being treated fairly and with respect at an important moment in my life," Göthberg said in a statement following the victory. She emphasized that the ruling ensures pregnancy will not be treated as a barrier to labor opportunities in the sport.[2][4]

The global players' union, FIFPRO, which supported Göthberg throughout the legal battle, hailed the decision as a massive victory. Alexandra Gómez Bruinewoud, FIFPRO’s legal director, noted that the ruling proves FIFA’s maternity regulations "are not just words on paper and that they provide real protections for players."[2]

FIFA first introduced mandatory maternity leave and working rights for female players in 2020, guaranteeing at least 14 weeks of paid leave and obliging clubs to reintegrate players afterward. These rules were further enhanced in 2024 to close loopholes regarding contract renewals and medical privacy.[2]

The Göthberg precedent firmly establishes that clubs cannot simply walk away from an agreed employment relationship—even an unformalized one—the moment they learn a player is expecting a child.[2]

For women's football, which has seen rapid professionalization and investment in recent years, the CAS ruling represents a crucial maturation of labor rights, ensuring athletes no longer have to choose between their careers and starting a family.[4]