CN Sabadell breaks the silence and responds to Maica García, who accuses the club of kicking her out for being a mother

BarcelonaIt is difficult to dissociate the name of water polo player Maica García, Olympic champion, from the club of her life: CN Sabadell. It is even more difficult to imagine the outcome that one of the most successful stories in this sport in Catalonia has had. The specialist in the center-forward position began to cry at the presentation with her new club, CN Sant Andreu, when she explained the ordeal she has experienced in recent months, which will lead to a lawsuit against the Vallès entity. García stated that, after more than thirty years at CN Sabadell, she was forced to leave the institution when the club did not renew her contract upon her becoming pregnant, as required by law.

"My contract ended on August 31st, and during this time I did not receive any communication from the club. Last week human resources called me and then I found the message from Social Security that they had deregistered me," she explained. García recounted how she has experienced the whole process: "I communicated the pregnancy to the club in January 2025. I took leave for occupational risk, but I continued to keep in shape. The club provided me with a physiotherapist, a physical trainer, and a specialist to work on the pelvic floor; everything went perfectly. I also received aid from the RFEN [the Spanish Swimming Federation]".

The player, calm, continued with her pregnancy: "On September 25, 2025, I gave birth and everything went normally. I returned to training in November, still on leave, with the fitness coach. I was calm, because I was starting the 2025-26 season pregnant and, therefore, I was calm regarding the contract," she said. And, as the player argues, citing Royal Decree 1006/1985, since she had started the last season of her contract while pregnant, the bond had to be extended for one more year. "I was calm, I wanted to talk to the club, both publicly and privately, everyone knew that I wanted to continue. They were not aware, or have not been, that this law existed. I took it for granted, calmly, that I would reach Los Angeles playing for Sabadell," pointed out the water polo player, who has the goal of reaching the 2028 Olympic Games that will be held in the Californian city.

On the other hand, CN Sabadell argues that the decision not to extend the contract with García for another season responds "to strictly sporting criteria." A decision that was formally communicated to her on April 28, 2026, and May 6, 2026, in two face-to-face meetings, according to the club. They also state, as reported by the Diari de Sabadell, that Royal Decree 1006/1985, on which the player bases her claim, establishes an extension of the contractual bond in the season following the one in which the pregnancy occurs. Here, the Valles entity considers that, since García became pregnant at the end of 2024, during the 2024-25 season, according to the interpretation of the regulations that the club considers valid, the renewal would correspond to the 2025-26 season, not the current one, 2026-27.

Maica García: "I had a severe anxiety episode"

Despite this painful exit, García maintains that CN Sabadell, with whom she has won more than 70 titles, including seven Champions, will continue to be her club. "I am from here, I grew up here, but I leave hurt by some people who run the club. I am unhappy with the management, I don't deserve it, neither do I nor anyone else." The water polo player found out a few days ago that the club would not renew her. "They were referring to a Maica who is not the one from ten years ago. I have been a mother, my life has changed, but I feel that I am a player who can return to the elite and continue dreaming of reaching the Games." Finally, the breakup: "My contract ended on August 31st, and during that time I had no further communication from the club. Last week they called me from human resources and then I found the message from Social Security that they had deregistered me.

The water polo player, in tears, explained that the situation caused her "a great deal of pain" and "a severe case of anxiety". The current CN Sant Andreu player, whom she thanked for "the interest, the treatment, and the tranquility" she has received from her new team, also stated that she is considering suing CN Sabadell for breach of contract. García also wants her example to serve to "lead a social change": "Before, I had no role model, no example of a woman who had been a mother and had returned to the elite".

CN Sabadell breaks its silence and presents its version

The club from the Vallès region, through a statement shared this Saturday, explained that García extended her contract before the 2024 Paris Games until August 31, 2025. Given the athlete's wish to become a mother, the entity states that both parties agreed on the possibility of extending the contractual bond beyond the agreed term, an option that was executed in April 2025 when the player had already communicated her pregnancy, with a duration until August 31, 2026.

The club asserts that it made available to García all the "medical, technical, and logistical resources necessary to support her." CN Sabadell states that it informed the player that it would not renew her contract on April 28 so that she "would have enough time to adjust her professional future" and that, at the player's request, on May 6, in a new meeting, the decision not to extend her contract beyond August 31, 2026, was ratified.

The entity also highlights that it offered García the option to evaluate "ways of professional continuity within the club's structure," but that the water polo player declined. Finally, CN Sabadell notes that on September 1, the economic incentives agreed upon in the contract in the event of definitive retirement from professional practice were paid to her, even though they knew the player would not retire.