Lazio to pay compensation in pregnancy dispute case

Lazio to pay compensation in pregnancy dispute caseImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Swedish midfielder Maja Gothberg spent one season at Lazio in 2023-24ByEmma SandersBBC Sport women’s football news reporterPublishedJust nowLazio Women have been ordered to pay compensation to former midfielder Maja Gothberg because they unlawfully ended her employment due to pregnancy.The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) ruled in favour of the Swedish player in what global players' union FifPro called a "groundbreaking" maternity case.Gothberg will also receive "moral damages" from Lazio.The Italian club were also found to have disclosed information about Swedish midfielder Gothberg's pregnancy to several team-mates without her consent."This case was never only about football, it was about being treated fairly and with respect at an important moment in my life," said Gothberg."The ruling sends a message that pregnancy should never be treated as a problem or a reason to deny a player labour opportunities."The dispute was taken to Cas after Gothberg's case was initially rejected by Fifa's Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC).BBC Sport has contacted Lazio Women for a comment.'I couldn't really speak about it' - a decision dividing the WSLPublished3 April 2024'I had to tell club about pregnancy before my mum'Published14 November 2022How the case unfoldedThe dispute began at the end of the 2023-24 season, in which Gothberg made 29 appearances and helped the club secure promotion to the Italian top division.She claimed the club had entered negotiations over a new contract and although it was not formally signed, Whatsapp messages showed key terms had been agreed.Before formalising the contract, Gothbert learned she was pregnant and informed the club - though she was not legally obliged to do this.Lazio did not fulfil the agreement in principle and later claimed Gothberg no longer wished to continu...