Sports Ticker #156 - Landmark player pregnancy judgment and Balogun's World Cup suspended suspension

In a fortnight that saw Jannik Sinner and Linda Nosková win the Men’s and Women’s Wimbledon Singles tournaments respectively, Spain lift the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup trophy, and Australia win the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in invincible fashion, we bring you news of the landmark judgment following Maja Göthberg’s pregnancy dispute with SS Lazio Women and the suspension of Balogun’s red card playing for the United States men’s national soccer team.

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Balogun’s World Cup red card and suspended suspension
The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup has delivered plenty of surprises, but few as striking as FIFA’s decision to suspend the usual automatic ban that follows a red card. In the US’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, their leading scorer Folarin Balogun was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle on defender Tarik Muharemović – an incident that looked set to rule him out of the US’s next match against Belgium due to suspension. FIFA later announced that it would suspend Balogun’s one match ban for 12 months, reportedly relying on a provision of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (including Article 27) that permits the suspension of disciplinary sanctions. Even though Balogun’s return ultimately did not prevent a 4-1 defeat to Belgium, the decision has reignited debate about how far governing bodies can (and should) intervene in the application of in-competition discipline, the standing of teams affected by decisions to appeal (it being said that FIFA denied Belgium could appeal the decision as the ban did not relate to one of their players), and the ad-hoc appeals processes used in-competitions.

Sky’s acquisition of ITV could create ‘stream team’ for sports broadcasting
Sky, owned by US media giant Comcast, has reached an agreement to acquire ITV’s linear channels and ITVX for £1.6 billion, subject to shareholder approvals. The move would create the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster, which the two companies believe would be strong enough to even rival some of the biggest streaming platforms. Notably, Sky’s chief executive Dana Strong, believes it could “supercharge” ITV’s sports offering. ITV currently has a share of the rights to the England national football team in international competitions, including the upcoming 2028 UEFA European Football Championship. The broadcaster also has rights to the Six Nations, EFL, UK horse racing and Professional Darts Corporation events. When added to Sky’s sports offering which includes the Premier League and Formula 1, the duos sporting catalogue will be extensive. 

Landmark judgment by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) finds pregnancy discrimination against Italian team SS Lazio Women (Lazio)
For the first time, CAS has found that a player’s employment was unlawfully terminated by a club due to pregnancy discrimination. Swedish midfielder Maja Göthberg played for Lazio in the 2023-24 season and helped promote the club to the top division of Italian football. They parties had entered new contract negotiations, with key terms agreed over WhatsApp. Göthberg voluntarily told Lazio she was pregnant (when she did not need to), then Lazio didn’t fulfil the agreement. Göthberg’s teammates were also informed of her pregnancy without her consent. After her case was initially rejected by FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber, she took it to CAS supported by FifPro and Swedish players’ union Spelarforeningen. CAS ordered Lazio to pay Göthberg €64,000 (approximately £55,000) as salary compensation, and €5,333 for “moral damages”, for infringement of her private medical information, both with interest. FifPro’s legal director, Alexandra Gómez Bruinewoud confirms FIFA’s 2024 enhanced maternity protection “are not just words on paper” and “provide real protection for players” even without formalised agreements.

A Welcome Participation Medal: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) to start giving Olympians $10,000
Since it was founded in 1894, the IOC has never paid athletes, owing to its mission to promote an amateur ethos in sport. Athletes have been expected to rely on funding from their national Olympic committees or government bodies, and any money raised through sponsorships. But now, after 132-years of treating participation as its own reward, the IOC has announced the launch of a new $140 million fund dedicated to athlete grants. The fund will see all of the roughly 14,000 athletes from the Summer and Winter Olympic Games receive $10,000, regardless of nationality, medal haul or personal wealth. Athletes who competed in this year’s Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and all games moving forward will be eligible. The scheme is one of the major reforms under new IOC President Kirsty Coventry (whose appointment was covered in Sports Ticker #124). Coventry has already introduced other new measures, including stronger protections for the female category as part of her Fit for the Future reforms.

The BBC–Wimbledon rally continues into the next decade
The BBC and Wimbledon have signed a deal to extend the BBC’s longstanding coverage of the tournament until 2033. In a move that goes against current trends towards Grand Slams featuring on paid streaming services, the deal means that the tournament will remain free to air (FTA) for audiences in the UK across the BBC’s television, radio and digital platforms. The announcement follows record digital audiences for the competition on BBC platforms last summer, with over 69.3 million online requests for the tournament, overtaking the previous record of 54.3 million set in 2023. The BBC have promised, “new voices and personalities, deeper storytelling, enhanced analysis, and technology” intended to “bring audiences closer to the Championships than ever before”. The BBC’s extension helps satisfy the proposed new legislative changes which require the ‘Crown Jewels’ of UK sporting events, including the Wimbledon finals, must remain on FTA channels (as covered in Sports Ticker #155).

Extra time...

…and finally, from grandmasters to grandmothers, ChessFest is back! On Sunday 12 July, members of the public gathered in Trafalgar Square to try their luck against the best in chess. Beginners benefited from instruction from tutors, while experts, including longstanding British champion Michael Adams, showcased their talents and took part in speed games against fellow masters. Actors even took to the stage on a giant chess board to re-enact the Immortal Game – a legendary showdown between Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky 175 years ago, in which Anderssen sacrificed all of his major pieces to win. The event follows the announcement of the national teams for the upcoming Olympiad in September, where teams from 200 countries will compete for the title in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. ChessFest will also be touring Hull, Liverpool, Coventry, and Lancaster over the coming weeks.