Peter Vlachovski: Calls for a life ban to be imposed on the Czech coach who secretly photographed female players

Victims of the coach who escaped imprisonment despite secretly filming female football players in changing rooms and bathrooms have called for him to be banned internationally for life.

Petr Vlachovski has been given a one-year suspended prison sentence and a five-year ban from coaching in the Czech Republic after being found guilty of photographing 14 players over four years.

He has coached girls and women at 1. FC Slovacko for almost 15 years, and previously captained the Czech Republic Women’s U19 team.

Voted the best women’s coach in the Czech Republic, Vlachovski was arrested in September 2023 after police discovered the secretly filmed footage online.

He was also found in possession of child sexual abuse material.

Prominent players’ union Fifpro reported that players of 1. FC Slovacko did not know they were being secretly filmed until after the arrest. He was given a one-year suspended prison sentence in May last year. Recently, a group of victims came forward to demand further action.

Fifpro – the global representative organization for professional footballers – said the players were filmed with Vlachowski’s camera hidden in a backpack, and the youngest was 17 years old.

“Given that the Czech criminal proceedings and the administrative proceedings of the Czech Republic Football Association are separate and could run parallel, the Federation challenges the FA to implement a lifetime football ban on Vlachovski and all sex offenders,” Fevbro said.

“Fifpro is exploring possible legal avenues on behalf of the players to achieve a global ban.

“The victims did not have the opportunity to attend a public trial and were unable to lodge an appeal against what the players considered an overly lenient sentence.”

The players spoke to Czech media publication Seznam Zpravy, external After Vlachowski was sentenced, they said it made them afraid to sleep at night and anxious about being in public in case they were filmed.

FACR president David Tronda told Seznam Zpravy that the federation has not historically addressed these issues and wants to “shift course” and pay more attention to the safety of children and players.

This follows a recent similar case in Austria, where a former SC Rheindorf Altach official was involved, external He received a suspended sentence and a €1,200 (£1,046) fine for secretly filming members of the club’s women’s team in the changing room, gym and showers. He was ordered to pay compensation of €625 (£544) to each victim.