What Happened When I Got Pregnant by Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir
The Players' TribuneJan 17, 2023
On Tuesday, French soccer club Olympique Lyonnaisto — popularly known as Lyon — was ordered to pay former player Sara Bjork Gunnarsdóttir €82K ($88K) in unpaid salaries following a landmark FIFA tribunal ruling last May.
According to a statement by the global players' union FIFPro, Lyon must also pay an additional 5% annual interest from Sept. 10, 2022, until the outstanding dues have been cleared. The French club reportedly faces a transfer ban if it fails to pay the compensation within 45 days.
This ruling highlights the trauma pregnant footballers must endure safeguarding their basic professional rights. Not just the demands of strict training and playing schedules, but also how soccer clubs' severe lack of support for their expecting players during and after pregnancy are usually incompatible with raising a child. Women players are often pressured to push back having children until retirement. However, Gunnarsdóttir's victory indicates the tides are changing.
Only a few professional soccer players have given birth during their playing careers. There are many reasons players may decide not to have children until retirement, though job security is likely a major factor. Biological differences in strength, speed, and stamina are often used as excuses for pay inequality between men's and women's sports. Until systematic sexism in sports is addressed, such victories will elude female players who face highly precarious playing careers.