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Victims of a coach who avoided prison despite secretly filming women footballers in changing rooms and showers have called for him to receive a global lifetime ban. <\/b><\/p>\n
Petr Vlachovsky was given a suspended one-year prison sentence and five-year coaching ban in the Czech Republic after being convicted of filming 14 players over four years. <\/p>\n
He coached girls and women at 1. FC Slovacko for almost 15 years, and previously led the Czech Republic Under-19s women’s team.<\/p>\n
Once voted the best women’s coach in the Czech Republic, Vlachovsky was arrested in September 2023 after police discovered the covertly filmed footage online. <\/p>\n
He was also found in possession of child sexual abuse material. <\/p>\n
Leading players’ union Fifpro reported that players of 1. FC Slovacko only learned they had been secretly filmed after the arrest. He was given a one-year suspended prison sentence in May last year, <\/b>and recently a group of the victims came forward to demand further action.<\/p>\n
Fifpro – the global representative organisation for professional footballers – said the players were filmed on Vlachovsky’s camera hidden in a backpack, and the youngest was aged 17.<\/p>\n
“Because the Czech criminal process and the Football Association of the Czech Republic (FACR) administrative proceedings are separate and can run in parallel, the union is challenging the FA to implement a lifetime football ban for Vlachovsky and all sexual offenders,” Fifpro said.<\/p>\n
“Fifpro is exploring possible legal avenues on behalf of players to achieve a global ban.<\/p>\n
“The victims did not have the opportunity to attend a public trial and could not file an appeal against what players view as extremely lenient sentencing.”<\/p>\n