Lazio found guilty by Cas of releasing player due to pregnancy

Swedish footballer Maja Göthberg has won a landmark case at the court of arbitration for sport that found Lazio released her due to pregnancy. Pic: Nick Potts/PA Wire.

Swedish footballer Maja Göthberg has won a landmark case at the court of arbitration for sport that found Lazio released her due to pregnancy.

The Italian club, where Cork native Megan Connolly plays, has been ordered to pay compensation after she successfully appealed Fifa’s decision to reject her claim.

The payout was increased after the club were also found guilty of informing Göthberg’s teammates without her consent.

The landmark case revolved around Fifa’s maternity regulations, which were enhanced in 2024.

This was the first case in which Cas found a club unlawfully ended an employment relationship because of a player’s pregnancy and, significantly, the court found in the player’s favour even though she had not signed her proposed new contract at the time.

WhatsApp messages were integral to the evidence furnished to Cas, supporting Göthberg’s version of events and her chain of communication with Lazio. It proved the club were aware of her pregnancy despite their initial denials.

Göthberg had helped Lazio to win promotion to Italy’s top tier in the 2023-24 campaign, before entering contract negotiations.

No deal was signed but both parties had agreed on the key terms of the 28-year-old’s contract.

Before signing the deal, Göthberg discovered she was pregnant.

Despite not being obliged to inform Lazio of her pregnancy at that stage, the former Sweden youth international chose to tell the club.

Cas was informed that Lazio then withdrew from the contract agreement and that Göthberg’s teammates had been informed of her pregnancy without her consent.

The player, who initially lost her case at Fifa’s dispute resolution chamber, leading to her taking her case to Cas, said in a statement: “This was never only about football: it was about being treated fairly and with respect at an important moment in my life. The ruling sends a message that pregnancy should never be treated as a problem or a reason to deny a player labour opportunities.”

Alexandra Gómez Bruinewoud, the legal director at the players’ union, Fifpro, who supported Göthberg’s battle, said: “This case shows that Fifa’s maternity regulations are not just words on paper and that they provide real protections for players.

“Clubs cannot simply walk away from an employment relationship, even if this is not fully formalised, once they learn a player is pregnant.”

Cas also found Lazio had breached rules around confidentially over private, sensitive medical information when revealing the midfielder’s pregnancy to her teammates.

Göthberg, who has also played for clubs in Finland and Sweden during her career, said: “I hope the case helps create a safer environment for players who want to have both a career and a family.”