The dispute began at the end of the 2023-24 season, after Gothberg made 29 appearances and helped the club win promotion to Italy’s top division.
She says the club entered talks over a new contract and, although nothing was formally signed, WhatsApp messages showed that key terms had been agreed.
Before the deal was finalised, Gothberg found out she was pregnant and informed the club, even though she was not legally required to do so.
Lazio then failed to honour the agreement in principle and later claimed Gothberg no longer wished to continue at the club as relations deteriorated.
Under Fifa rules, clubs must prove that pregnancy is not the reason for ending a contract, and pregnancy information is classified as confidential medical data.
FifPro legal director Alexandra Gomez Bruinewoud said the case proves Fifa’s Maternity Regulations offer real protections and that clubs cannot abandon an employment relationship—formalised or not—once they learn a player is pregnant.
Gothberg received support and representation from FifPro and the Swedish players’ union Spelarforeningen throughout the case.
In 2023, former Iceland captain Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir won a claim against Lyon for failing to pay her full salary during pregnancy. A Fifa tribunal ordered Lyon to pay more than 82,000 euros (£72,000) in unpaid wages and warned the club it faced a transfer ban if it did not pay within 45 days.