The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has delivered a landmark ruling in favour of former Lazio Women midfielder, Maja Gothberg, strengthening maternity rights in football and reinforcing FIFA regulations designed to protect players during pregnancy.
CAS ordered Lazio Women to pay compensation and “moral damages” to the Swedish midfielder after finding that the club unlawfully ended her employment because of her pregnancy. The court also found that Lazio disclosed information about Gothberg’s pregnancy to several teammates without her consent.
The decision has been described by global players’ union FIFPRO as a “groundbreaking” case and is expected to serve as an important reference point for future disputes involving maternity rights in football.
“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.
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“The ruling sends a message that pregnancy should never be treated as a problem or a reason to deny a player labour opportunities.”
Why the ruling matters
The case goes beyond Gothberg’s individual circumstances and represents a significant development for maternity rights in football, providing a clearer interpretation of FIFA regulations designed to protect players from discrimination linked to pregnancy and motherhood.
According to FIFA rules, clubs must prove that pregnancy was not a factor in the termination of a player’s employment. Pregnancy-related information is also considered confidential medical data and should not be shared without the player’s consent.
FIFPRO Legal Director, Alexandra Gomez Bruinewoud, said the ruling confirms that clubs cannot avoid their obligations once they become aware that a player is pregnant.
“This case shows that FIFA’s Maternity Regulations are not just words on paper and that they provide real protections for players,” Gomez Bruinewoud said.
“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.”
How the dispute began
The dispute dates back to the end of the 2023-24 season, when Gothberg helped Lazio secure promotion to Italy’s top division after making 29 appearances.
Gothberg said the club had entered negotiations over a new contract and that key terms had already been agreed through WhatsApp messages, despite the deal not being formally signed.
Before the agreement was finalised, she discovered she was pregnant and informed the club, although she was under no legal obligation to do so.
According to Gothberg, Lazio subsequently failed to honour the agreement in principle. The club later argued that she no longer wished to continue playing as relations between both parties deteriorated.
The case was initially rejected by FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber before Gothberg appealed to CAS, which ultimately ruled in her favour.
Lazio’s response
In a statement, Lazio said it “acknowledged” the findings and described the circumstances surrounding the case as “exceptional” and of a “highly specific nature”.
The club added, “Lazio remains firmly committed to safeguarding the rights and welfare of its athletes and to promoting the principles of inclusion, respect, equality, and non-discrimination that are fundamental to the continued development of women’s football.
“The club will continue to review and strengthen its internal procedures to ensure full alignment with the evolving national and international regulatory framework governing professional sport and employment relations.”
Previous maternity cases in football
The ruling follows another significant case involving maternity rights in football. In 2023, a FIFA tribunal ordered French club Lyon to pay more than €82,000 in unpaid salaries after failing to fully compensate former Iceland captain, Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir, during her pregnancy.
FIFPRO described that decision as a landmark moment for women’s football.
The Lyon case helped establish stronger protections for female players and laid the foundation for future legal challenges involving pregnancy-related discrimination in the sport.
Current maternity protections under FIFA rules
FIFA expanded its maternity regulations in 2024 to provide additional protections for players and coaches during and after pregnancy, as well as in cases of adoption and non-biological parenthood.
Under the rules, players and coaches are entitled to a minimum of 14 weeks of paid maternity leave, receiving 100 per cent of their salary and benefits during that period. Clubs may choose to extend full-pay arrangements beyond the minimum requirement.
The regulations also allow clubs to sign temporary replacements outside transfer windows when players take maternity, adoption, or family leave.
Additional protections include leave for adoptive parents, family leave for non-birth parents, and the right for players to request absences from training or matches for menstrual health reasons while continuing to receive full pay.
What the decision means going forward
The CAS ruling in Gothberg’s case is likely to strengthen confidence in those protections and underline the growing legal framework supporting maternity rights in football as the women’s game continues to evolve globally.
The judgment also reinforces the principle that clubs must respect contractual obligations and player privacy, while ensuring that pregnancy cannot be used as a basis for denying employment opportunities in professional football.
