Bulgaria. Ranked 22nd. The collapse of Communism affected football – in short, the season started in one political reality and finished in another. Transitional season of transitional period with more difficulties than anything else. New and old clashed on many levels, like everywhere else in Eastern Europe, and the general problems Bulgarian football faced were the problems of the whole Communist Europe. Here are listed the main problems popping up during the season – some old, but unmentionable before, some newly emerging with the new reality. Some clubs restored their old – or ‘original’ – names, thus starting the season with one name and finishing with another: Levski (Sofia), CSKA (Sofia), Botev (Plovdiv), Botev (Vratza), Marek (Dupnitza – in their case not just the club, but the whole city restored its original name: from Rila [Stanke Dimitrov] to Marek [Dupnitza]. There was certain irony in all that, for Stanke ‘Marek’ Dimitrov was a Communist ‘hero’ after whom both city and club were named – the ‘democratic’ change both changed and restored him.) Not every club restored old name – changes continued in the following years. In the case of CSKA, it was not even restoring original name, but restoring the name most popular with their fans. In the case of Levski, some doubt can be raised as well: when the Communist Party named the club ‘Vitosha’, the forced renaming replaced earlier amalgamated name of forced merger – Levski-Spartak. True, Spartak practically had no fans and no fan ever chanted ‘Levski-Spartak’, but only ‘Levski’, yet, the original clubs were 2 and now only one was restored (meek efforts to revive Spartak occurred at least twice later, both very short living). Minyor (Pernik) launched an initiative for cutting of the attachment of CSKA, Levski, Slavia, and Lokomotiv (all from Sofia) to powerful state institutions. Minyor was supported by some other clubs, mostly provincial, and the problem must be explained: practically all clubs belonged to some institution during the Communist rule – the very complainer, Minyor, belonged to the large mining complex (Mini Pernik) in their city. But all that was local – either city or industry. The big 4 from Sofia belonged to the top of the system, to the corresponding ministry – the Ministry of Defense (CSKA), the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Levski), another branch of the Army (Slavia), and the Ministry of Transportation (Lokomotiv). Their positions were powerful on national level, thus placing everybody else in disadvantage. Yes, all those institutions had other clubs as well, but on local and subordinated to the ‘center’ level. The provincials hated the all-powerful central clubs and with good reason, but the newly emerging reality added new element to the picture: locally, ‘sponsors’ were only glad to cut lose the clubs – and in many cases the clubs cut off ties with local institutions. In such cases money were perhaps more important factor than politics: industries and municipalities were only happy to get rid of financial burden. That left the clubs without money – and that applied also to clubs deciding to cut ties with institutions. But the big 4 were not cut off , for they belonged to the highest institutions and therefore, at least in eyes of the provincials, they kept the old hated power on national level, along with financing. The general cry was to make fully professional clubs, independent from the state in everything. Sounded good… even the big 4 supported the idea. The financial problem was addressed by some clubs by looking and finding sponsorship – shirt adds appeared as a result (CSKA, Slavia, Botev Vratza, Spartak Varna, somewhat curiously, the Third Division Lokomotiv (Dryanovo), and gradually other clubs). Meantime scandals finally came to the surface: the Bulgarian Football Federation ‘discovered’ falsified birth dates of players in the Junior National team – as a result, Bulgaria withdrew from the the finals of the European Junior championship and was replaced by Hungary. What was hinted on the streets for years was suddenly ‘discovered’… Scandals were nothing new, but now some things were said openly and no longer classified as ‘isolated local infringements’ – it took demonstrations in front of the Federation in Sofia and Yambol to restore Tundzha (Yambol) to Second Division: they were relegated in 1988-89, but apparently there was something dark in that. The fans protested and their demand was satisfied to a point – to a point, because Tundzha ended the 1989-90 season in the relegation zone again. At the end of the 1988-89 season Chepinetz (Velingrad) and Gorubso (Madan) were found guilty of fixing a match and were expelled to Forth level – thus, the South-Western group of Third Division became from the biggest in 1988-89 with 19 teams to the smallest in 1989-90 with 14 teams. And for good measure at the end of this season Metalurg (Pernik) was expelled, so the group remained reduced in the 1990-91 season as well. That was the situation for years – ‘local’ cases of corruption, as a rule, involving smallish clubs, immediately punished to show how prudent and vigilant the ‘system’ was – but now corruption was spoken of as wide-spread ellement of the Communist system – it was true and also accusations were tailored: ‘the whole system was corrupt, except us and that was why we suffered’. Some laments existed since the 1950s, repeated year after year: lack of professionalism, lack of money, low quality of players and games, diminishing attendance, nothing done to provide for ‘street’ football, outdated and not cared for facilities, mostly for the youth system, but increasingly the whole infrastructure. The only new thing was that until 1990 individual clubs and cities were blamed for that and now the state was blamed – and this lament continues to this very day: the state does not do anything for the sport. However, the state is blamed too when it finances the sport – for favouring some at the expense of others. What really football people want then and now is the state to finance sport lavishly, taking all expenses on itself, but not to interfere in how the money is spent and not to touch profits: ‘profits are ours, expenses and losses – yours’. Anyhow, that were most of the problems and changes during the season of transition, when practically noone knew how to do professional football. Lastly, the Federation permitted the import of players, starting this season – 2 foreigners were permitted per club, the decision was announced after the end of the 1988-89 season, but nobody acted upon it first – still, the first foreign player appeared in the middle of the season, followed by second shortly after. Curious or not, but none of the big clubs looked abroad, but the debutante in the First Division Hebar (Pazardzhik) – they hired little known Soviet striker Sayran Ossipov from second-division Dinamo (Stavropol). Ossipov played 7 games for Hebar and scored 1 goal and departed after this season for Ararat (Erevan). The first foreigners in Bulgaria were from USSR – just like the first foreign player in USSR was Bulgarian: after Ossipov, another Soviet – Igor Kislov – joined Etar (Veliko Tirnovo). That was all for the moment – other sports were quicker in importing players than football. Export, however, was growing – without age restrictions and without a state institution dealing with transfers, everybody wanted to play in the West – like elsewhere in Eastern Europe, the new freedom translated immediately into going West. The clubs needed money and were only happy to sell players – without knowing really how and thus hardly getting the real value of their stars. Now to the season…
Third Division. 4 groups as usual, nominally of 16 teams each. However, the South-Western group was of 14 teams after Chepinetz and Gorubso were expelled for fixing a match between themselves. This affected the next season as well – for some reason this very group had 2 teams promoted, unlike the other 3 groups, where only the winner was promoted. Hard to tell why was that, for that meant 5 teams altogether going up to Second Division, but 6 were relegated from the Second Division. Anyhow, in the Third Division many former Second Division teams played and usually they were the candidates for promotion. Nothing different this season, except one team. No big battle for top position either. 3 points were given for a win.
North-Eastern Group.
Lokomotiv (Rousse) finished 4th with 52 points. Former Second Division member, the second club in the city of Rousse was nothing special this season and perhaps nobody was envisioning the troubles in the future: the club struggles to this very day just to exist, sometimes disappearing for a while.
Chernolometz (Popovo) was 3rd with 60 points. They played top-level football once upon a time… Sportist (General Toshevo) – 2nd with 61 points. Also a club with second division past.
Dorostol (Silistra) won the championship and was promoted: they ended with 65 points, clearly outplaying all the others and climbed back to Second Division, where they played for may, many years. In 1984 Dorostol reached – and lost – the final of the Soviet Army Cup.
North-Western Group.
Lokomotiv (Dryanovo) – 3rd with 58 points. They played some Second Division football before, but more importantly they were one of the first clubs in the country getting sponsorship in professional terms.
Lokomotiv (Mezdra) – 2nd with 59 points. Also a club with Second Division experience, but unable to go up – looking at their season and history, it was hard even to imagine in 1989-90 that one day the club will be in First Division.
Chumerna (Elena) won the championship with 67 points and was promoted to Second Division – they played there before, so it was a return.
South-Eastern Group.
Neftokhimik (Bourgas) – 5th with 48 points. After years in Second Division, Neftokhimik sunk down to third level football and at the moment the second club of Bourgas looked like they will be entirely out of existence soon, for they – as the name suggests – belonged to city’s oil refinery and it was unlikely the enterprise will keep a football club in changing business reality. However, the future proved such expectations wrong. Top row from left: Kyuchukov, Mindov, Mikhov, Banev, Markov, Kostadinov. Middle row: Kiril Stankov – coach, Botev, T. Petkov, Shishkov, T. Tikhomirov, Dobrevski, Kiryakov, Hemi Levi – assistant coach. Sitting: Karpachev, Tzonev, B. Petkov, Kolev, Stoyanov.
Well, hard to believe that in a few years time this club will be among the leading Bulgarian clubs and some of these anonymous players will be very well known, even considered stars – Tzonev, for example. The future is unknown and predictions are very often wrong.
Arda (Kardzhali) ended 2nd with 55 points. Nothing even to hint that this club will play in European tournament one day… so far, their typical modest existence: after years of insignificant Second Division participation, they seemingly were settling for third level football.
Slanchev bryag (Nesebar) won the championship with 59 points and climbed back to Second Division, where they played for numerous years. Gain, nothing to suggest that this club will one day play First Division football – under different name, for to be named after beach resort – a bad idea in the first place – could not last for ever.
South-Western group. Reduced from 19 to only 14 teams for this season, this group also had 2 teams promoted. In a way, the problem was making the numbers for the next season – the current size of Third Division groups was 16 teams. With 2 teams promoted and unknown number of relegated from Second Division teams, the groups could be left with 12 teams after the end of the season – thus, the question of promotion from 4th level and relegation to it. Eventually, 2 teams were relegated from Second Division. The rest is… murky. Metalurg (Pernik) ended 13th with 23 points. In theory, they should have been relegated – if relegation took place. Officially, 2 teams were promoted from 4th level – Svoboda (Peshtera) amd Minyor (Bobov Dol). So… 12 plus 2 relegated from Second Divison, plus 2 promoted from 4th level – makes the required 16 without relegation of anyone. But 3 teams were relegated at the end of the season – Balkan (Botevgrad), last in the table, Metalurg – 13th, and Minyor (Brezhani) – 12th. Yet… Metalurg was seemingly keeping place in the group against records and logic. At least at first they were among the teams for the 1990-91 season – and then they were expelled or denied license and were out, leaving the group with 15 teams for 1990-91. However, it is a mystery how the numbers were made in the first place and on what criteria 3 teams were included. Well, 2 teams, for after all preliminaries the group was again with 14 teams in 1990-91 – but how Strumska slava (Radomir) and Chepinetz (Velingrad) appeared in it? But that’s in the future yet – currently,
Akademik (Sofia) finished 2nd with 52 points. Just relegated from Second Division, they fought to climb back and lost the championship by 1 point. If not for the strange decision to have 2 teams from this group promoted, Akademik would have remained here. But they went up happily.
Pirin (Razlog) clinched 1st place with 53 points. What a historic victory it was – the small club, which was not playing regularly even in Third Division, now went up. Their biggest success so far and also they were the only club not playing second level football before promoted this season.
And here were again the teams promoted to Second Division: Dorostol (Silistra), Chumerna (Elena), Slanchev bryag (Nesebar), Pirin (Razlog), and Akademik (Sofia).
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