Swedish footballer Maya GothbergImage Credit source: Getty Images
On one hand, some female referees are creating history by taking charge of the matches in the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026, while on the other hand, a female footballer has made the path of other players easier with a historic victory. Sweden women’s football team player Maya Gothberg has won the 2-year-long case against Italian club Lazio. Gothberg had filed a lawsuit against Lazio accusing him of canceling the contract due to pregnancy, where the highest court of sports CAS ruled in favor of the footballer and ordered the football club to pay a compensation of 70 thousand euros i.e. about 75 lakhs.
Gothberg will get compensation
The highest court in sports, the ‘Court of Arbitration for Sport’ (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, announced its decision on Wednesday 25 June, which was in favor of the complainant Maya Gothberg. This decision of CAS was published on Wednesday in the website of FifPro, the global organization of football players. It is clearly written that the football club Lazio will have to pay more than 70,000 euros (about Rs 75 lakh) in salary compensation and violation of Gothberg’s “image rights”. Not only this, this payment also includes 5% interest in 2 years.
What is the whole matter?
This matter is after the 2023-24 season. Till this season, Gothberg was playing for the Lazio women’s team. During this period, he played a big role in getting the club promoted to the top league. As soon as this season ended, discussions began between Gothenburg and the club regarding a new contract. But during this time, when Gothberg came to know that she was pregnant, she informed the club about it and then suddenly the club canceled the discussion regarding a new contract. In such a situation, Gothberg appealed against this in the FIFA Tribunal but he was disappointed there. Only after this he approached CAS.
CAS has now set a historic precedent by ruling in favor of the Swedish player. The court said in its decision that when the player came to know that she was pregnant, she told this to the club during the negotiations on the new contract, although she was not legally obliged to do so. Lazio had claimed that Gothberg was not interested in playing further due to pregnancy and hence they had stopped contract discussions and the player was not a part of their team.
On what basis did CAS give its decision?
But in front of CAS, Gothberg presented as evidence screenshots of the discussions he had with club officials through WhatsApp, in which it was clear that there was agreement in principle between the player and the club on most points of the new deal. In such a situation, CAS accepted it and made it clear that even though no contract was signed, Lazio was aware of the pregnancy and only after this the club stopped discussing the contract, which is a violation of FIFA laws.
FifPro, which presented Gothberg’s side in this case, described the decision as historic. “The significance of this decision goes far beyond that of Maja Gothberg and it confirms that clubs cannot simply withdraw from an employment relationship, even if it is not entirely formal, upon discovering that a player is pregnant,” said FifPro legal director Alexandra Gómez Bruinwoud.
