A former Swiss referee has been convicted in Austria for secretly filming the women's football team Altach in locker rooms and showers, according to reports from Swedish media outlets. The man, who previously worked as a top-level referee and was a functionary at the Austrian Bundesliga club Altach, received a seven-month suspended prison sentence and a fine equivalent to 13,000 Swedish kronor.
One of the victims, 25-year-old defender Eleni Rittmann, expressed shock and outrage at the sentence, calling it too lenient. "I was asked to keep quiet," Rittmann said in an Instagram video. "Something like this makes me speechless. The victims are often told to remain silent. That's what happened to me too."
I was asked to keep quiet
Rittmann, who played for Altach at the time of the scandal, questioned whether the punishment would deter potential offenders. "I really wonder if the fine and the suspended sentence have sufficient consequences. Will it deter other potential perpetrators from doing something similar?" she said.
The Swiss player, who now plays for French second-division club Thonon Evian, described how the violation affected her sense of security. "We felt safe in the locker room. Now some of us don't feel comfortable in public showers anymore," Rittmann stated, adding that she now checks for hidden cameras in locker rooms.
Think about going to the locker room after training to shower with your teammates, and later finding out you were filmed and photographed. Something like this just leaves me speechless.
The case has been described as a major scandal in Austrian football circles, with the former elite referee secretly filming players in intimate settings. Both Sportbladet and Expressen Sport reported on the conviction, citing Swiss newspaper Blick as their source.
I really wonder if the fines and conditional sentence will have sufficient consequences. Will it deter other potential perpetrators from doing something similar?