Female Football Player Criticizes Lenient Sentence for Referee Caught Filming in Changing Rooms

A former SCR Altach women's football player has voiced her anger regarding a court's decision to impose a mere seven-month suspended prison sentence and a £1,046 (€1,200) fine on a man who surreptitiously recorded players in changing rooms and showers.

The individual, a former prominent Swiss referee, was alleged to have used a hidden smartphone and recorded through a keyhole during his tenure at the Austrian football club.

Approximately 30 female players were recorded, with reports indicating the youngest was born in 2007 and the oldest in 1995.

The referee, who served at the club from 2020 to 2025, was mandated to compensate each victim with £544 (€620).

This case has reportedly sent shockwaves through Austrian football, attracting over 100 onlookers to the courtroom in Feldkirch, located near the Swiss border. While the defendant has accepted the sentence, the public prosecutor is still contemplating whether to file an appeal.

Eleni Rittmann, 25, a player for the top-tier Austrian team at the time, took to social media to express her furious reaction.

"I am left speechless," said Rittmann, who was not one of the identified players in the recordings.

"The offender was not just a senior referee in Switzerland but also an official at Altach. It was there that he recorded players, including minors. I am compelled to question whether this is an acceptable punishment.

"Furthermore, I wonder if such a sentence will deter others. We felt safe in our locker room, and this violation has severely impacted our sense of privacy, making some of us uneasy in public showers even now.

"In my view, this does not convey a strong enough message regarding what is unacceptable in our society. The ruling is not yet definitive as the prosecutor has requested additional time to consider an appeal."

During the trial, a victim's statement was read aloud, which stated: "We are young women, some still young girls. What has transpired has upended our lives. For years, we were told that the dressing room was our safe space, but this sanctuary was invaded by someone we perceived as part of our community."

An attorney representing the victims labelled the incident as a "catastrophe for women’s football."

In October, Austrian sports minister Michaela Schmidt condemned the alleged offenses as "disgusting." "If female athletes cannot even feel safe in their own changing rooms due to an official, they have no platform to stand on," Schmidt remarked.

At the start of the trial, the defendant stated, "I plead partially guilty."

In his concluding remarks, he extended an apology to those affected, saying: "I concur with the remarks made by my lawyer, yet I wish to express my sympathies to all victims and apologize for my conduct."

The court considered his partial admission of guilt and lack of prior convictions to reduce the sentence.