Football in Bulgaria
Encyclopedia
Football (soccer)
is the most popular sport in Bulgaria
. It was introduced in 1893–1894 by Swiss
gymnastics teachers invited to the country. A football (initially called ритнитоп, ritnitop, "kickball") match was first played in Varna
's High School for Boys in 1894, where it was introduced by Georges de Regibus
, and the game was brought to Sofia
by Charles Champaud
the following year. The rules of the game were published in Bulgarian by Swiss teachers in the Uchilishten pregled magazine in 1897, and football continued to gain popularity in the early 20th century. Among the founders of the Turkish
team Galatasaray S.K.
in 1905 was the Bulgarian Lycée de Galatasaray student Blagoy Balakchiev, and the first Bulgarian club, Futbol Klub, was established in Sofia in 1909 on the initiative of Sava Kirov. PFC Botev Plovdiv
was founded in 1912, PFC Slavia Sofia
in 1913, and PFC Levski Sofia
in 1914. The Bulgaria national football team
debuted on 21 May 1924 in a 1924 Summer Olympics
qualifier, losing 0–6 to Austria
in Vienna
. What is today PFC CSKA Sofia
was established on 5 May 1948. In the 1950s and 1960s Bulgarian football achieved its biggest Olympic success, being third in the 1956 Summer Olympics
in Melbourne
and second in the 1968 Summer Olympics
in Mexico City
, also finishing fifth in Euro 1968. In 1962
, Bulgaria first qualified for a FIFA World Cup
tournament, and, although participating in 1966
, 1970
and 1974
, was eliminated in the group stage without recording a win. In the 1986 FIFA World Cup
, Bulgaria did reach the round of 16, but still did not win a single match. Then, in the 1994 FIFA World Cup
, came Bulgaria's biggest World Cup success, the fourth place, the elimination of reigning world champions Germany
and Hristo Stoichkov
's top goalscorer prize.
The cable from the US embassy in Sofia entitled "Bulgarian Soccer Receives Red Card for Corruption" claimed that: "Bulgarian soccer clubs are widely believed to be directly or indirectly controlled by organised crime figures who use their teams as a way to legitimise themselves, launder money, or make a fast buck". It lists the most well-known connections as: Grisha Ganchev "a known money launderer and organized crime figure" who owns PFC Litex Lovech
; Nickolay Gigov "an alleged arms dealer" and owner of Lokomotive Sofia; and Todor Batkov
, "the proxy and front-man for the infamous Russian-Israeli businessman" Michael Cherney
who owns PFC Levski Sofia
.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
is the most popular sport in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. It was introduced in 1893–1894 by Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
gymnastics teachers invited to the country. A football (initially called ритнитоп, ritnitop, "kickball") match was first played in Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
's High School for Boys in 1894, where it was introduced by Georges de Regibus
Georges de Regibus
Georges de Regibus was a Swiss athlete and sports teacher credited with introducing association football to Bulgaria in 1894.-Biography:...
, and the game was brought to Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
by Charles Champaud
Charles Champaud
Charles Champaud , Bulgarianized Charles Shampov , was a Swiss gymnast. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.Champaud competed in the parallel bars, vault, and pommel horse events...
the following year. The rules of the game were published in Bulgarian by Swiss teachers in the Uchilishten pregled magazine in 1897, and football continued to gain popularity in the early 20th century. Among the founders of the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
team Galatasaray S.K.
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
in 1905 was the Bulgarian Lycée de Galatasaray student Blagoy Balakchiev, and the first Bulgarian club, Futbol Klub, was established in Sofia in 1909 on the initiative of Sava Kirov. PFC Botev Plovdiv
PFC Botev Plovdiv
PFC Botev Plovdiv , is the oldest Bulgarian football club from the city of Plovdiv, which currently competes in Bulgaria's second football league, the B PFG....
was founded in 1912, PFC Slavia Sofia
PFC Slavia Sofia
PFC Slavia Sofia is a Bulgarian football club founded on 10 April 1913 in Sofia. Slavia's ground is Slavia Stadium with a capacity of 15,992. The team's colours are white and black....
in 1913, and PFC Levski Sofia
PFC Levski Sofia
"Levski Sofia" redirects here. For the sports club, see Levski Sofia .PFC Levski Sofia, otherwise simply known as Levski or Levski Sofia, is a professional football club based in Sofia, Bulgaria...
in 1914. The Bulgaria national football team
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
debuted on 21 May 1924 in a 1924 Summer Olympics
1924 Summer Olympics
The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...
qualifier, losing 0–6 to Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. What is today PFC CSKA Sofia
PFC CSKA Sofia
PFC CSKA Sofia , commonly known as CSKA or CSKA Sofia is a professional football club based in Sofia, Bulgaria. The club was officially founded on May 5, 1948. CSKA's abbreviation stands for Central Sports Club of the Army...
was established on 5 May 1948. In the 1950s and 1960s Bulgarian football achieved its biggest Olympic success, being third in the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and second in the 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, also finishing fifth in Euro 1968. In 1962
1962 FIFA World Cup
The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final...
, Bulgaria first qualified for a FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
tournament, and, although participating in 1966
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
, 1970
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
and 1974
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
, was eliminated in the group stage without recording a win. In the 1986 FIFA World Cup
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
, Bulgaria did reach the round of 16, but still did not win a single match. Then, in the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
, came Bulgaria's biggest World Cup success, the fourth place, the elimination of reigning world champions Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
and Hristo Stoichkov
Hristo Stoichkov
Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov , sometimes Stoitchkov; born 8 February 1966 in Plovdiv) is a retired Bulgarian footballer. He is regarded as one of the best footballers of his generation and the greatest Bulgarian footballer of all time. Nicknamed The Dagger , The Dog , The Modern Left...
's top goalscorer prize.
WikiLeaks revelations
A leaked US diplomatic cable published in January 2011 by the Spanish newspaper El Pais claimed that since the end of Communism Bulgarian soccer has become a "symbol of organized crime's corrupt influence on important institutions."The cable from the US embassy in Sofia entitled "Bulgarian Soccer Receives Red Card for Corruption" claimed that: "Bulgarian soccer clubs are widely believed to be directly or indirectly controlled by organised crime figures who use their teams as a way to legitimise themselves, launder money, or make a fast buck". It lists the most well-known connections as: Grisha Ganchev "a known money launderer and organized crime figure" who owns PFC Litex Lovech
PFC Litex Lovech
PFC Litex Lovech or simply Litex is a Bulgarian football club from the town of Lovech, which currently competes in the Bulgarian A Professional Football Group, the top division of Bulgarian football...
; Nickolay Gigov "an alleged arms dealer" and owner of Lokomotive Sofia; and Todor Batkov
Todor Batkov
Todor Batkov is president of the Bulgarian football club Levski .Since June 1991, Batkov has been a managing partner of the “Batkov, Stoev, Botev and Co.” Lawyer’s House. He is a member of the College of Barristers, the International Lawyer’s League and the Supervising Council of MobilTel Ltd...
, "the proxy and front-man for the infamous Russian-Israeli businessman" Michael Cherney
Michael Cherney
Michael Cherney is a Uzbekistan-born Israeli entrepreneur and industrialist. He is known for his significant role in the 1990s Aluminium in Russia, and his business ventures in Israel...
who owns PFC Levski Sofia
PFC Levski Sofia
"Levski Sofia" redirects here. For the sports club, see Levski Sofia .PFC Levski Sofia, otherwise simply known as Levski or Levski Sofia, is a professional football club based in Sofia, Bulgaria...
.
Bulgarian football competitions
- Championship:
- Top division: Bulgarian A Professional Football GroupBulgarian A Professional Football GroupThe Bulgarian A Professional Football Group commonly known as A PFG is the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The league is sponsored by Victoria FATA Insurance and therefore is officially known as Victoria A Football Group since 2011...
- 16 teams - Second division: Bulgarian B Professional Football GroupBulgarian B Professional Football GroupThe Bulgarian B Professional Football Group or simply B PFG is the second level of the Bulgarian football league system, below the A PFG and above the Bulgarian V AFG. The B PFG is formed by two groups, running in parallel , where in each group are participating 10 teams...
- 2 groups with 14 teams each - Third division: Bulgarian V Amateur Football GroupBulgarian V AFGThe Bulgarian V Amateur Football Group is the third level of the Bulgarian football league system. While the first division and the second division are professional, the third division V AFG is amateur division...
- 4 groups with 18 teams each - Fourth division: Bulgarian Regional Football Group - divided by region
- Top division: Bulgarian A Professional Football Group
- Cup: Bulgarian CupBulgarian CupThe Bulgarian Cup is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it. It is sponsored by the Bulgarian Corporate Commercial Bank....
- Super Cup: Bulgarian Super Cup
See also
- List of football clubs in Bulgaria
- List of football stadiums in Bulgaria
- Bulgaria national football teamBulgaria national football teamThe FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
- Bulgaria national under-21 football teamBulgaria national under-21 football teamThe Bulgaria national under-21 football team represents the under-21 football team of Bulgaria and is controlled by the Bulgarian Football Union. The team competes in the European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years....
- Bulgaria national under-19 football teamBulgaria national under-19 football teamThe Bulgaria national under-19 football team is the national under-19 football team of Bulgaria and is controlled by the Bulgarian Football Union...
- Bulgarian Football UnionBulgarian Football UnionThe Bulgarian Football Union is a football association based in Bulgaria and a member of UEFA. It organizes a football league, Bulgarian A Professional Football Group, and fields its Bulgaria national football team in UEFA and FIFA -authorised competitions.A legal entity that it claims descent...
- Bulgarian Footballer of the YearBulgarian Footballer of the YearBulgarian Footballer of the Year is an annual title awarded to the best Bulgarian football player of the year. The award has been given since 1961, and the winner is elected by authorized journalists from the leading Bulgarian media....
- Bulgarian Professional Football LeagueBulgarian Professional Football LeagueThe Bulgarian Professional Football League or BPFL organizes the Bulgarian A Professional Football Group, Bulgarian B Professional Football Group and the Bulgarian Cup tournaments. It unifies the Bulgarian professional football clubs....