Uefa has issued a lifetime ban to Czech coach Petr Vlachovsky after he was found to have secretly filmed female footballers in changing rooms and showers over a period of four years. The ruling, handed down by Uefa's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB), prohibits the 42-year-old from taking part in any football-related activity whatsoever.

What Vlachovsky did — and what the courts decided

Vlachovsky spent almost 15 years coaching girls and women at top-tier Czech side 1. FC Slovacko. Police arrested him in September 2023 after covertly filmed footage was discovered online. The footage had been captured on a camera hidden inside a backpack, and among the 14 victims was a player aged just 17.

Czech courts convicted Vlachovsky of filming the players and also found him in possession of child sexual abuse material. He received a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year coaching ban in his home country. That domestic punishment clearly did not go far enough for many in the game, and a group of victims came forward earlier this year to demand further action. Speaking to Czech media outlet Seznam Zpravy, the players described being left afraid to sleep at night and anxious in public spaces, fearing they were being watched.

Uefa acts — and asks Fifa to make the ban global

The CEDB found Vlachovsky in breach of Uefa regulations covering insulting or indecent behaviour and bringing football into disrepute. The resulting sanction is unambiguous: a ban from exercising any football-related activity, for life.

Crucially, Uefa has also requested that world governing body Fifa extend the ban globally, which would prevent Vlachovsky from working in football anywhere on the planet. The CEDB has additionally ordered the Football Association of the Czech Republic to revoke his coaching licence entirely.

Global players' union Fifpro noted that the players at 1. FC Slovacko only discovered they had been filmed after Vlachovsky's arrest — meaning they had continued to train and work under him with no knowledge of what was happening. The detail underlines how thoroughly his position of trust was exploited.

A wider reckoning for the women's game

The case is a stark reminder of the specific vulnerabilities that can exist in women's football, particularly in environments where safeguarding structures may not yet match the ambition and growth of the game itself. Vlachovsky was once voted the best women's coach in the Czech Republic and had previously led the Czech Republic Under-19 women's national team — a profile that made the abuse all the more insidious.

The lifetime ban is the correct outcome. A five-year domestic ban for filming 14 athletes, including a minor, was never a proportionate response to what amounts to serial sexual abuse carried out under the cover of a coaching role. Uefa and Fifpro deserve credit for pursuing this further, and the victims who spoke publicly deserve credit most of all.

Whether Fifa acts swiftly on Uefa's request to make the ban worldwide will be the next measure of how seriously the sport's institutions take cases of this nature. There should be no loophole, no jurisdiction where Vlachovsky can return to a role that places him in a position of authority over players.

  • Vlachovsky coached at 1. FC Slovacko for almost 15 years.
  • He secretly filmed 14 players; the youngest was 17.
  • Uefa has asked Fifa to extend the ban worldwide.
  • The Football Association of the Czech Republic has been ordered to revoke his coaching licence.

Frequently asked

Why has Petr Vlachovsky been given a lifetime ban by Uefa?
Uefa's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body found Vlachovsky guilty of insulting or indecent behaviour and bringing football into disrepute after he secretly filmed 14 female players in changing rooms and showers over four years. He had already been convicted in Czech courts and given a suspended prison sentence.
Will Vlachovsky's ban apply outside Europe?
Uefa has asked Fifa to extend the ban globally. If Fifa acts on that request, Vlachovsky would be barred from any football-related activity anywhere in the world, not just within Uefa's jurisdiction.
Which club did Vlachovsky coach when he committed the offences?
Vlachovsky worked at Czech top-tier club 1. FC Slovacko for almost 15 years. According to Fifpro, the players there only found out they had been filmed after his arrest in September 2023.