The case caused a lot of noise last March.
Player of the volleyball team of Pordenone, in the Italian third division, Lara Lugli became pregnant in March 2019, which then ended her season.
As a clause in his contract allows, the Italian club was able to separate from his player without notice or compensation.
While the 39-year-old volleyball player simply claimed the balance of her contract estimated at 2,500 euros, her former club responded by filing a complaint against her. Pordenone executives believed her pregnancy had damaged the team's results at a crucial time in the 2018-19 season and prevented the captain from fulfilling her sponsorship obligations.
On March 7, Lara Lugli published on her Facebook account the copy of her summons to the Italian courts, received on February 26.
The case had caused a shock wave in Italy, well beyond the simple sporting environment, and had even resonated beyond national borders.
This week, the leaders of the Italian club finally withdrew their complaint, a few days before the hearing which was scheduled for May 18, as announced by Assist, the national association of female athletes.
In addition, they will comply with their obligations, particularly financial, vis-à-vis their former player.
"A great victory" for Lara Lugli
The main concern was quick to react. “It's a big victory for everyone,” she told La Repubblica. It was very important that this case did not even go to court to demonstrate that it was unfounded. This is a strong signal to all women, not just athletes who find themselves confronted with these absurd situations. "
The president of the Italian volleyball federation, Giuseppe Manfredi, also spoke about the outcome of this affair in the columns of the daily: “It is absolutely unacceptable to consider maternity as a just cause of contractual termination attributable to a future mother. The latter took the opportunity to discuss a proposal that will be made to the next Federal Council around the creation of a commission for equal opportunities which would aim "mainly to monitor, promote and support the rights of athletes. "
Finally, the president of Assist Luisa Rizzitelli was delighted that this case did not go any further. “There could not have been another epilogue […] An indelible stain on Italian sport and a real outrage against all women has been rightly avoided. […] This victory must be shared with all the athletes and female athletes, associations, parliamentarians and citizens who joined us in a great demonstration. "