PRAGUE — The Czechia players’ union has advocated for a lifetime ban from soccer for sexual offenders following a coach who secretly recorded female players receiving a one-year suspended sentence, thus avoiding incarceration.
Petr Vlachovsky was also subjected to a five-year ban from coaching domestically, as determined by a criminal judge, after it was revealed that the former coach at 1. FC Slovacko filmed women in changing areas and showers over a span of four years.
This sentence was issued in 2025 but became public last month when several players shared their experiences on the local news platform, Seznam. The ruling was made without a trial, leaving the players without the option to appeal.
The union, known as the Czech Association of Soccer Players, with the backing of the global players’ union FIFPRO, “is urging the [Czech soccer association] to enforce a lifetime football ban for Vlachovsky and all sexual offenders.”
“FIFPRO is investigating potential legal pathways on behalf of players to secure a global ban,” the union stated in a release on Tuesday.
“Currently, Vlachovsky could return to coaching in Czechia by the end of 2030, and there are no existing legal barriers preventing him from coaching internationally even before that,” FIFPRO noted. “The victims were not afforded the chance to participate in a public trial and could not appeal what players consider to be an exceedingly lenient sentence.”
FIFPRO further emphasized in a social media update: “Non-contact sexual abuse is still abuse, and players must be safeguarded.”
