UMVA has learned that a women’s football coach in the Czech Republic was handed a lifetime ban after secretly filming his players without their consent.
Investigators uncovered that Petr Vlachovsky, then head coach of 1. FC Slovacko, hid a camera inside his backpack and captured fifteen athletes, some as young as seventeen, while they changed and showered after training and matches.
The hidden recordings surfaced online in September 2023, prompting police to arrest Vlachovsky and seize additional illegal material linking him to child sexual abuse content.
A suspended one‑year prison sentence and a five‑year coaching suspension were initially imposed, but a recent ruling by the sport’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body escalated the punishment to a permanent ban from any football‑related activity.
Officials described the violation as a grave breach of conduct that brought the game into disrepute, emphasizing that such abuse has no place on or off the pitch.
In response, the governing body has formally requested that the global football authority extend the lifetime ban worldwide, ensuring the coach cannot operate in any jurisdiction.
This decisive action sends a powerful message that safeguarding players’ dignity and safety is non‑negotiable, and that perpetrators will face the full weight of the sport’s disciplinary mechanisms.
