UEFA bans Czech coach for life after secret filming scandal

UEFA issued a decision to ban Czech coach Petr Vlachovsky for life, after he was convicted of secretly filming female football players inside changing rooms and showers, in a case that caused widespread shock within European sporting circles, especially since minors were among the victims.

According to a report published by Reuters, the penalty includes permanently prohibiting him from practicing any football-related activity, with a formal request to the International Federation FIFA to generalize the decision globally.

A report by The Guardian newspaper stated that Vlachovský exploited his former position as coach of the women’s team at the Czech club Slovacko, in addition to overseeing the Czech women’s national team U-19, to install hidden cameras inside private player facilities over four years, where he filmed 14 players without their knowledge, and some of the victims were under the age of 18.

The newspaper added that during the investigations, the Czech authorities found child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his electronic devices, which compounded the seriousness of the case and sparked widespread outrage in Czech sporting and human rights circles.

The Czech judiciary had convicted the coach in 2025, handing down a one-year suspended prison sentence, in addition to banning him from local coaching for five years, before UEFA intervened and decided to tighten the penalty by imposing a permanent ban on all football activities, according to Reuters.

The case reopened the discussion about the protection of players within women’s clubs and national teams, amid increasing demands for stricter supervision within sports facilities and the imposition of more stringent mechanisms to prevent the recurrence of such violations.

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