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European football governing body UEFA has banned Petr Vlachovsky from all football activities for life after he was found guilty of secretly filming his FC Slovacko women's team players in locker rooms and showers.
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Former FC Slovacko women's team head coach Petr Vlachovsky has been banned from all football activities for life by UEFA. Photo by FACR |
The punishment was announced by UEFA's control, ethics and disciplinary body on Tuesday. UEFA has also requested that FIFA extend the ban globally and instructed the Football Association of the Czech Republic (FACR) to revoke Vlachovsky's coaching license.
According to investigations, Vlachovsky used a mini camera hidden inside his backpack to film 14 female players at Slovacko when they were showering and changing clothes at multiple locker rooms over a four-year period between 2019 and 2023. The youngest victim was 17 years old at the time, BBC reported.
Vlachovsky was arrested in September 2023 after authorities discovered the secretly filmed footage online. At the time, the court ruled that the 42-year-old former coach had to pay 20,000 CZK (US$940) in compensation to the victims for the emotional distress they suffered.
In May 2025, Vlachovsky was convicted in a closed-door criminal trial. However, the punishment sparked massive outrage, as he only received a one-year suspended prison sentence and a five-year domestic coaching ban.
The coach, who had previously led the Czech U19 women's national team, was also found guilty of possessing child sexual abuse material on his personal computer.
The ruling prompted the Czech Association of Football Players (CAFH) to push for harsher and worldwide penalties.
Earlier this year, the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO) joined the fight, calling on FIFA to ban Vlachovsky from the sport permanently.
"It's important to name it for what it is," FIFPRO legal counsel Barbara Mere Carrion said earlier this year, as quoted by The New York Times. "Despite the fact that it's non-contact sexual abuse, it's still sexual abuse. That helps players and everyone be aware of its severity."
In an April interview with The Guardian, FIFPRO secretary general Alex Phillips described the case as "the tip of the iceberg," highlighting the troubling reality that female players frequently feel unsure of how or where to safely report their concerns.
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Former FC Slovacko player Kristyna Janku is one of the victims of Petr Vlachovsky. Photo by FACR |
The FACR initially claimed it had no authority to further sanction Vlachovsky following his conviction, arguing that he was no longer a member of the federation. In response, the CAFH submitted proposals to the federation demanding strict new regulations specifically targeting sexual assault and the abuse of power by coaches.
"I don’t even want to think about it," former Slovacko player Kristyna Janku told The Guardian. "It’s really crazy. I couldn’t believe it had been going on for such a long time. He was our coach for a long time, we had a good relationship with him, he was a person you could trust.
"You can’t shake this new bad habit of always looking around," she added. "I’m more careful and hide more when I’m changing before games and after games. I make sure that doors are closed. More widely, I’m more careful too. For example, when I go to a public pool, it’s not like it was before. I try not to expose myself too much even when I’m in a private cubicle."
Some players needed to change clubs because they could not go back there.
Following UEFA's announcement of the lifetime ban, FIFPRO issued a statement welcoming the decision.
"This outcome sends a strong and necessary message that abusive and inappropriate behaviour has no place in football and that safeguarding the well-being of players must remain a priority at every level."
