Fri, February 27, 2026
Former official given suspended sentence and told to pay female footballers €625 each for secretly filming them in changing room, gym and shower
A former official who worked at Altach, a top-division Austrian football club, between 2020-2025, has been given a seven-month suspended prison sentence and told to pay female footballers €625 each after secretly filming them and taking photos of them in a changing room, gym and shower. He was also fined €1,200 (£1,046), according to The Guardian.
According to the prosecutor, there were around 30 victims shown by the recordings and images. The players had reportedly found out about the alleged crimes via the media and were then called into a meeting to address what had been discovered, according to Vorarlberger Nachrichten reporter, Markus Krautberger.
The victims expressed in court: “We are young women, partly still young girls. What has happened has pulled the rug from under our feet. For years he told us that the dressing room was our home, but this home was then destroyed by someone who we thought was part of this family.”
Michaela Schmidt, new Austrain State Secretary for Sport, voiced: “If female athletes are not even safe in their own dressing rooms because of an official then they have nothing to stand on.”
The verdict was made at the Feldkirch Regional Court. The judge stated that there’s a big difference between “looking at pictures or actually creating them oneself.” The defence lawyer stated that the photos and videos had not been shared with anyone else and that they have been destroyed. However, the prosecutor may appeal, with players voicing the punishment was too lenient.
The former official stated after the verdict that: “I agree with the statements made by my lawyer, but I would still like to express my sympathy to all those affected and apologise for my actions.”
Eleni Rittmann, who previously played for Altach, expressed that she was left “speechless” by the former official’s punishment. She stated on Instagram: “The perpetrator was not only a top-level referee in Switzerland but also an official at Altach. And that is where he filmed players, including minors. I then ask myself, is this an appropriate punishment?...
I also ask myself, does such a punishment act as a deterrent for others? We felt secure in our dressing room, and this hurt our privacy so badly that some of us do not feel safe in public showers even now. For me this is not a strong enough signal for something that is not tolerated in our society. The verdict is not final as the prosecutor has requested additional time to consider an appeal.”
Manuel Willam, assistant to the board at Altach, will reportedly bring in extra protective and preventive measures with help from the Austrian FA and Austrian Sports Federation. These measures will reportedly be introduced around March time.
Claudia Koller, Managing Director of 100% Sport, which promotes equality and safe, respectful environments within sport in Austria, raised the impact of criminal record checks: “A criminal record check won’t solve everything, but it sends a signal that attention is being paid. However, this only applies if someone has already been convicted of a crime.”
