A historic legal victory for a female footballer over the termination of her contract during pregnancy


The world's highest sports court has ruled that footballer Maja Guttberg should be awarded financial compensation from Italian women's club Lazio, after the club halted contract renewal negotiations when it learned she was pregnant


The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ordered Lazio to pay more than the 70,000 euros to Guttberg as compensation for outstanding wages and damages resulting from the "violation of her personal rights," plus 5 percent interest for the past two years, according to the ruling published by the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPro) on Wednesday.

The former Swedish youth national team player appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after losing her initial case before a FIFA committee.

FIFPro's legal director, Alexandra Gomez-Brownwood, said: "The significance of this ruling goes beyond the Maja Guttberg case itself, as it confirms that clubs cannot simply withdraw from an employment relationship with a player, even if it is not fully documented, once they know she is pregnant."

Goetberg played for Lazio Women during the 2023/2024 season, and contributed to the team's promotion to Serie A.

According to the court ruling, the player discovered she was pregnant and informed the club of this during negotiations that summer regarding a new contract with a total salary of 64,000 euros.

FIFPro stated: "Immediately after that, the relationship between the two parties broke down. Later, Lazio paid the women's press, claiming there was no contract between the two parties, and that the player no longer wished to continue."

Messages exchanged via WhatsApp during the negotiations were among the most important pieces of evidence that helped Guttberg win the appeal, as they showed that the club was aware of her pregnancy.

The court ruling noted that FIFA judges had previously decided that Guttberg "failed to prove that the two parties had reached an employment contract."

But FIFPro clarified that "the Court of Arbitration for Sport has clearly confirmed that when the basic terms are agreed upon and the parties act on the basis that a contract exists, the player is legally protected."

He added that the ruling "also sets an important legal precedent regarding the confidentiality of medical information related to pregnancy and the need to protect it."


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