UEFA has handed Petr Vlachovsky, a former Czechia women's soccer coach, a lifetime ban from coaching after he secretly filmed players in locker rooms and showers. The 43-year-old violated UEFA rules on insulting and indecent behavior through a scheme that targeted more than a dozen women over four years while coaching at 1. FC Slovacko.

Vlachovsky was convicted in Czech courts last year, receiving a one-year suspended prison sentence and a five-year domestic coaching ban. However, UEFA determined these sanctions were insufficient, imposing the maximum penalty available. The governing body also requested FIFA extend the ban internationally and asked the Czech federation to revoke his coaching license permanently.

The disgraced coach had spent nearly 15 years with 1. FC Slovacko and previously led Czechia's Under-19 women's national team. His arrest in 2023 came after authorities discovered the footage online. FIFPRO, the global players union, praised the decision as sending a strong message about safeguarding player wellbeing. The case represents one of the most severe disciplinary actions in European football history.

This unprecedented punishment demonstrates that football authorities will not tolerate abuse of power or violation of player privacy, regardless of a perpetrator's standing in the sport.