March 4 – The Czech players union is seeking a lifetime ban for Petr Vlachovsky (pictured), a manager who secretly filmed female players but avoided prison.
Vlachovsky was handed a suspended one-year jail sentence and slapped with a five-year domestic coaching ban after a criminal judge established that the former manager at 1. FC Slovacko had filmed female players in dressing rooms and showers over a four year-period. He hid a miniature camera in a backpack to make the recordings.
Vlachovsky was once voted best women’s manager of the year in the Czech Republic.
The Czech players union CAFH and world players union FIFPRO have however demanded a lifetime ban for Vlachovsky and all sexual offenders from the Czech FA.
“FIFPRO is exploring possible legal avenues on behalf of players to achieve a global ban,” said the union.
“As it stands, Vlachovsky could be back coaching in Czechia by the end of 2030, while there are no current legal restrictions stopping him from coaching abroad even before that,” said FIFPRO. “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.”
CAFH and FIFPRO want a zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse offences. For a lifetime ban to be implemented there needs a change in the Czech FA rules.
The abuse has had an impact on players, who detailed their experiences and suffering in interviews with local media. “Some of my team-mates started to worry that someone was watching them, even through the window. They had trouble sleeping, some girls were vomiting,” Kristyna Janku, a Slovacko player at the time of Vlachovsky’s arrest, told Seznam Zpravy.
The lenient punishment of Vlachovsky has left Janku and other players angry.
“It’s a mockery. We all feel the same way about it. But the investigator warned me beforehand that we shouldn’t expect anything special due to Czech laws, because child pornography or sexual abuse are not classified as serious crimes,” said Janku.
Marketa Haindlova, the chairwoman of CAFH, explained that the public prosecutor didn’t respond to the players’ legal representative requesting to file an appeal. In the case’s criminal proceedings, the victims’ ability to appeal the ruling was limited.
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