#rioters #deprived #Bulgaria #football #matches #Easter
A pogrom over “Levski” in Pernik and beaten CSKA players in Kyustendil led to the decision
Bulgaria is one of the few countries where football is not played during the Easter holidays. The other one is Italy, but there the ban only applies to Sundays, while in our country there is a huge hole in the championship. The reasons lie in several brutal incidents during the first years of democracy that spoiled the holiday.
The cowboy runs away from Pernik on a motorbike
The first incident was from “B” group from 1997. “Spartak” from Plovdiv visited “Metalurg” in Pernik. The hosts, led by Parvan Parvanov-Pero and Kaloyan Stoyanov-Tsymbika, are fighting a fierce battle for second place with the wrestling “Olympic” (Galata) of Strahil Dimchev and Stanislav Tanev-Kamilata. “Litex”, where Grisha Ganchev is now, is first with a huge lead and enters the elite. The visitors are in a fight with “Parva Atomna” (Kozloduy) and “Loko” (Gorna Oryahovitsa) for survival. Only one of these teams can stay in the second tier.
Over 2,000 spectators are at the stadium in the “Iztok” district of Pernish. Referee Yordan Ivanov-Yotso gives the duty penalty for them, but it is missed. And at halftime the score is 0:0.
At the stadium, the dressing room of the referees is more than 100 meters away and that is why they are driven by car. This time it’s a jeep, and behind the wheel is a rather thick-necked boy. And he puts the referees down in front of the campaigner who wants to fight them. However, there are also police at the stadium who take them away. In front of the locker room door there are more healthy guys, and one of them pulls out a gun. The fourth referee Dimitar Dimitrov-Cowboy gets on his bike and leaves for Sofia, but the others decide to finish the match.
The guests have locked themselves in their dressing room. However, the door is kicked down with a powerful kick, and the Babaites enter from outside. Coach Ivan Kyuchukov testified that several of them had pistols in their hands. He assures the fighting brigade that in the second half his players will not strain.
After the holiday, Pernicani is still not doing well. And then, to calm things down, the guests’ captain Ivan Govedarov scored an own goal, undisturbed by anyone. And the match ends correctly 5:2 for “Metallurg”.
At the end of the season, Perničani are third. However, the lost point is fatal for “Spartak”, because due to their worse goal difference, they are eliminated together with Gornoryahov, and the team from Kozloduy remains. All three teams have 36 points each.
In the ears of Thomas Lafchis
Just a year later, “Litex” is in the elite and hosts “Levski”. 12,000 are in the stadium to cheer for the home team, 5,000 are the away crowd. Our top referee Atanas Uzunov is drawing lots with eggs for the first time. And Nikolay Todorov-Kaizera’s blue turns out to be stronger than Stefan Kolev’s orange.
Levski president Thomas Lafchis was mobbed in the box and he decided to move to the bench. There, his violent blood could not stand and he began to dispute every decision of Uzunov. The audience, on the other hand, scolded him with everything they could. On the other bench is another gunpowder Dimitar Dimitrov-Hero. And he begins to pour out oaths and threats. At half-time, Hero and Lafchis are barely beaten.
In the 64th minute, Marijan Todorov opened the scoring for Lovchanlii. Hero flies like an eagle to the visitors’ bench and pokes Lafchis’s ear with his middle finger. He hits back with a powerful punch and the two start kicking each other to the horror of all of Bulgaria, who are watching the fight.
In the 72nd minute, however, Elin Topuzokov equalized. The entire Levski bench, led by Lafchis, hurled obscene gestures and curses at Hero and the home team. Zapalyankovites supporting “Litex” try to break in to lynch the guests. However, the police managed to control the situation. The guests and the referees barely leave the stadium, sending them to Sevlievo so that no one stalks them on the normal way.
Adalbert Zafirov and Ivaylo Ivanov beaten in Kyustendil
And again only one year break and another incident on Easter. And one of the cruelest. CSKA visits the VIS-2 controlled local “Levski”. At the break, the guests, who are seventh in the standings, boldly lead with 1:0. But they do not come out for the second half, the judge Atanas Uzunov waited 15 minutes and ended it.
It turns out that Adalbert Zafirov and goalkeeper Ivaylo Ivanov were beaten by healthy boys during the break in the tunnel. “After the debriefing, we started to leave the dressing room. I, as the captain of CSKA, was at the front, and behind me was the goalkeeper Ivo Ivanov. In front of the door in the corridor I noticed four healthy boys. But very healthy – typical faces. Because I and Ivo were the first ones, we got hurt. Without telling us anything, they hit me hard in the stomach and Ivo pushed him, he fell to the ground and the four of them ran away. The match didn’t finish, and we were taken to the hospital, where they took out the medical certificates. Subsequently, the BFS started to take measures. After this incident, they started to put cameras in the dressing rooms of both teams Since then, there have been no similar actions in the stadiums, which already had video surveillance equipment,” recalls Adalbert Zafirov.
The BFS may have been startled, but it makes an insane decision. The match is canceled and both teams do not get points. For the hosts – only a salty fine. Neither the medical nor the evidence matters.
This is not an isolated incident at the stadium in Kyustendil during the time of Georgi Iliev. Before that, the head of judges Borislav Alexandrov “falls down the stairs” of the lodge. Eyewitnesses claim that he ate boi personally from the boss. On top of that, Alexandrov is an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He doesn’t admit it until his death.
Stone and wood at the “Stadium of Peace”
Perhaps the match with which everything overflowed against football during Easter was in 2001 in Pernik. Miner hosts Levski at the Peace Stadium. Until the break, everything is normal. But after her, everything goes backwards.
First, the referee Anton Geonov shows a second yellow card to Nikolay Alexandrov from the hosts. His offense is obvious and even he doesn’t protest. Seconds later, however, the man from Gabrovo awarded a penalty for the guests. According to the people of Pernici, for the theatrical fall of the current president of the BFS, Georgi Ivanov-Gonzo. Then there is no VAR. Gonzo scores for 1:0.
Genov doesn’t see a no-ball shot by Alexey Dionisiev-Dino against a home player. After that, he passes several violations against the star of Pernicani, Anton Evtimov. In one of them, his shoe was even removed, but the referee did not give a foul. And Evtimov, sitting down, throws it at the referee. And Genov chased him. Thus, the hosts remain with 9 people.
And fans of Pernicani become militiamen. Stones and trees fly towards the field. Assistant judge Nedelcho Chakarov was hit three times. A piece of brick falls next to Genov. The police barely kept people from storming the field and beating the referee. Frightened, the judge waits for some time. After the fire from the stands continues, Anton Genov decides to stop the fight.
Enraged fans besiege the stadium. Police reinforcements have to come from Sofia. Only in the dark did the “Levski” bus and the judges manage to leave after the police cleared their way.
The BNR car, which is on the track where Kalin Katev broadcasts the match, suffered the most serious damage. The rear window is broken, a few more stones are bending the sheet metal.
The “Peace Stadium” was declared dangerous, and matches were not played there for a long time. Miner was relegated the same season to “B” group. Since then, BFS has avoided playing matches on Easter.
Of course, for “Levski” BFS gave a victory with 4:0, and did not cancel it like the one in Kyustendil.
