Opinion | Corruption, Scandals, and a “New” President: The Paradox of Bulgarian Football

The Bulgarian football system is a mess and has been a mess for more than 15 years. Following a conference, surrounded by controversy, held on Mar. 15, 2024, Georgi Ivanov (Gonzo) was named the new president of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU). 

Bulgaria has not participated in a significant international tournament since 2004. Moreover, there has yet to be a single Bulgarian footballer who’s managed to find a spot in a top European club for more than a decade now. 

Suspiciously, all these problems started to occur after the election of the last president of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU), Borislav Mihaylov, in 2005. During his almost 20-year presidential spell, Mihaylov has been accused of match-fixing, corruption, and abuse of influence on numerous occasions.

On Nov. 16, 2023, thousands of Bulgarians went out on the streets to protest against the BFU. Their message was clear. The fans wanted a drastic change in the control of the union. This led to the forceful resignation of Mihaylov as the association’s president, “only” eleven days after the protest. 

Instead of a breath of fresh air, Bulgarian football received another serious disappointment after the last BFU presidential elections.

469 professional and semi-professional Bulgarian football clubs had the right to vote and choose between seven presidential candidates. The two most notable names in the competition were the all-time top goalscorer of the Bulgarian national team Dimitar Berbatov and Levski Sofia’s legend Georgi Ivanov. 

Ivanov was elected with 235 votes, which is the minimum number of votes a candidate needs to win without a runoff. Berbatov was second with the support of 181 football clubs. 

Here comes the problem – Ivanov was not the choice of fans. Ivanov was the choice of the Bulgarian footballing elite that has controlled the BFU from the shadows for almost 20 years. 

A few days before the elections, Botev Plovdiv, one of the biggest football clubs in Bulgaria, conducted an official online survey amongst its fans that showed the only candidate trusted by fans was Dimitar Berbatov.

The former Manchester United striker has previously never been a part of the BFU. Berbatov included the former Bulgarian footballers Martin Petrov and Stiliyan Petrov in his team as candidate co-presidents of the union. Together the trio expressed intentions to “restart” Bulgarian football and erase the corruption schemes tearing apart the current system. 

Unfortunately, it looks like idealistic viewpoints and enthusiasm did not resonate with voters. 235 Bulgarian football clubs voted for the status quo. They chose the well-trodden path of nepotism toward certain teams, lack of youth development, and mediocrity. It should come as no surprise that six former Mihaylov’s executive committee members will again be part of the new committee led by Ivanov.

After the election results were revealed, Martin Petrov and Stiliyan Petrov, expressed their disappointment with the decision taken by the Bulgarian football clubs and announced the end of their attempts to change the destiny of the BFU.

Throughout the years, Stiliyan has always proven that giving up is never an option for him. The former Aston Villa captain successfully battled leukemia a few years ago, showing the world how tough he can be even in the most challenging moments. It is discouraging to see people like him and Martin lose hope that change is possible.

Perhaps, Bulgarian football and its “new” leaders need to reach the last circle of its own “Inferno” in order to understand that this is not the right way. While other Eastern European nations reach historic heights, Bulgaria is destined to dig down until it reaches ground zero.

It is still too early to criticize Ivanov and his team. However, the overall feeling surrounding the future of Bulgarian football can be best described by the famous baleful quote from Dante’s Divine Comedy: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter.” 

Editors: Niya Manditsch and Dasha Dolgopolova