FIFA extends global ban on man who secretly filmed SCR Altach women's players

FIFA has extended to every country in the world the ban on a former match official and SCR Altach employee found guilty of secretly taking videos and photographs of members of the Austrian club's women's team. The decision, adopted on 4 August by FIFA's disciplinary committee, responds to a joint request from the Austrian players' union (VdF) and the global union Fifpro, who demanded that the sanction not be limited to national territory.

• FIFA extended the ban worldwide for a former SCR Altach employee convicted of spying on female players.
• The man filmed and photographed footballers, some of them minors, in changing rooms, the gym and showers between 2018 and 2025.
• A court in Feldkirch, Austria, gave him a seven-month suspended prison sentence, a €1,200 fine and €625 compensation per victim in February.
• The global sanction was requested by the Austrian VdF and Fifpro and has become final and binding.

Court sentence in Austria: seven-month suspended prison term and compensation for victims

The case dates back to February, when a regional court in Feldkirch sentenced the man for filming and taking photographs of Altach players without their consent between 2018 and 2025. The incidents took place in highly private spaces: the changing rooms, the gym and the showers of the women's team. Minors were among those affected. The sentence included a seven-month suspended prison term, a fine of €1,200 (about £1,046) and an order to pay €625 (£545) to each victim in compensation.

FIFA's global ban: what it means and why it was extended to other countries

The ban imposed by the Austrian federation only affected the domestic sphere. However, FIFA's disciplinary committee decided on 4 August to make the prohibition on any football-related activity universal for this individual. The measure was formally requested by the VdF and Fifpro. The sanctioned man did not request the grounds for the decision within the prescribed timeframe, so the resolution has become final and binding, closing the door to any further administrative appeals.

Union reaction: a strong message to protect female players' rights

Anyone who secretly films players in the locker room crosses a clear line. The fact that the ban now applies worldwide sends an important signal: those who seriously violate players' rights cannot escape the consequences by moving abroad.

Christos Papadimitriou, women's football coordinator at the VdF, gave a harsh assessment of the decision. His statement underlines the central idea behind the global sanction: preventing an offender from reoffending in another country by exploiting the territorial limits of national federations. Pressure from both the Austrian and international unions was decisive in pushing FIFA to act quickly and turn the sentence into a global warning.

The Czech precedent: call for a lifetime ban for a convicted coach

The Altach case is not isolated in Central European football. The Czech players' union (CAFH) called for a lifetime ban from all football-related activities for Petr Vlachovsky, the former coach of FC Slovacko, convicted of similar offences and possession of child sexual abuse material. Vlachovsky was sentenced in May 2025 to a one-year suspended prison term and a five-year domestic coaching ban.

Fifpro's stance on the Czech sanction and the legal avenues being explored

In March, Fifpro explained that the Czech criminal process and the Czech FA's administrative proceedings are separate and can run in parallel. The global union challenged the federation to impose a lifetime ban on Vlachovsky and all sexual offenders. Fifpro also announced it was exploring possible legal options to achieve a global ban on behalf of players, following the path that has already proved successful in the Austrian case.

Frequently asked questions about FIFA's ban on the former Altach employee