Bulgarian cups – still two of them. The Soviet Army Cup still had to rank higher on paper, so the Soviet comrades not to feel offended – in reality, the tournament already lost its importance. But this year was perhaps different – Levski and CSKA were really down in the summer and early fall of 1985, by month after month they were coming back to their old powerful positions both on and off teh field. It was difficult to win the championship, for the opponents were already quite ahead, but winning a trophy was imperative, so the cups… Sredetz (CSKA) met Lokomotiv (Sofia) at the final of Soviet Army Cup. And won 2-0. Stoichkov and Lyuboslav Penev scored the goals.
This was 12th Soviet Army Cup for CSKA – and 1st for Sredetz. Crouching from left: Lachezar Tanev, Georgi Velinov, Yordan Dimitrov, Kostadin Yanchev, Ruzhin (Ruzhdi) Kerimov, Krassimir Bezinski, Roumen Stoyanov.
Standing: Petar Zhekov – assistant coach, Christo Stoichkov, Nedyalko Mladenov, Aleksander Chavdarov, Ivaylo Kirov, Dimitar Penev – coach, Lyuboslav Penev, Vassil Tinchev, Mikhail Dinev – club’s chairman, Emil Kostadinov, Yordan Filipov, Stoil Trankov – assistant coach.
Note: the final was played on May 21, 1986. Apart from the name, everything was the same as before – Stoichkov, banned for life, was a regular, scored a goal. Perhaps money were still short, but the team was the same team CSKA had before. Dimitar Penev for years laments this period – so bad it was, no players, almost hopeless, but… the picture proves him wrong. It was shaky for awhile – supported by changing goalkeepers. It is a mystery why suddenly Thomas Lafchis, a regular for Panathinaikos just the previous season, was back in Bulgaria and joining CSKA instead of his beloved Levski, only to disappear again without even playing for Sredetz, but this mystery is not important here: the point is Sredetz had some problems with completing the squad and perhaps not much to offer. The veteran Yordan Filipov, back from playing in Malta, was second goalkeeper in May 1986. Even this could be seen as some desperate move – Filipov was a teammate once upon a time of the current coaching stuff Penev-Zhekov-Trankov. He did not play for CSKA at least 6 years and he was 40 years old! Dimitar Penev complains, as well as a chorus of CSKA fans and historians, but all the stars were at hand. The suspended players were back, including Stoichkov – the others had short suspencions, only his was for life, for he, young and unknown, was used as scapegoat mostly to show penalties were distribute ‘fairly’ – Levski’s players receaved heavier and more numerous bans, so let show there is no ‘bias’. But after the national team coach Vutzov pleaded amnesty so the have a decent team at the World Cup, everybody was back and playing. Dimitar Penev have more of a point if speaking of 1986-87 season, because a whole bunch of stars went to play abroad after the World Cup, but at that time he also had relatively restored power of the ‘new’ club plus the backbone of new great team – Stoichkov, Emil Kostadinov, Lyuboslav Penev. That was the blessing of the club’s destruction in the late spring of 1985, really: first Penev was appointed coach. His coaching abilities are suspect at best, but he has a great eye for young talent, maintains wonderful relations with players, and is not disciplinarian – all that created rather relaxed atmosphere in his teams and talent can show its capabilities without restrictions. Pig-headed players like Stoichkov can really flourish. Penev included the youngsters and made them regulars out of desperation, he claims – there was nobody eles. CSKA, however, never used its own juniors for starters – it became possible only in shaky and uncertain days after the club was penalized. And thanks to that world class stars came to be… it may had been entirely different, if the old stiff CSKA existed. In any case, the victory further confirmed that everything was coming back to what used to be.
The Bulgarian Cup final opposed Vitosha and Sredetz. Although statisticians had to place that as the first final the new clubs reached, it was the old derby Levski – CSKA and there was certain fear that tempers may get out of control again. The final was played on April 27, 1986 and by now everything was back to ‘normal’: all suspended players were back, the very players blamed for the big fight a year ago, leading to destruction of both clubs. However, priorities were different now and both clubs had to play without their national team players, who were preparing for the World Cup. That took away an edge, but ambition was still strong – both clubs wanted to win, to come on top of their enemy, to restore their former might. The final was not violent and Vitosha was the better team at least in the first half and took a 2-0 lead. Then, strangely, they slowed down and chose to play defensively, which allowed CSKA to score from a penalty, but that was all. 2-1 Vitosha.
The winners, without their national team players. Crouching from left: Antoni Zdravkov, Dimitar Markov, Georgi Yordanov, Roussi Gochev, Plamen Tzvetkov, Vladko Shalamanov, Krassimir Koev, Roumen Charlov.
Second row: Nikolay Todorov, Christo Ayandelev – vice-chairman of the club, Nikolay Illiev, Mikhail Valchev, Vlado Delchev, Kiril Ivkov – coach, Ivan Galabov, Rossen Krumov, Kiril Vangelov, Stoil Georgiev, Pavel Panov – assistant coach.
Well… 1st Cup for Vitosha, 3rd Cup for Levski. Now Levski won more cups than CSKA, but since both clubs were still shaken and many fans did not consider the renamed teams their own, victory was considerably toned down. After the final Kiril Ivkov said the victory was important because it was the last chance for the team to play in European tournament. Not that much to win a trophy, but to qualify for international games, seemed to be the tenor. Yet, the team was restoring confidence, winning again, coming back to normal. There was a bit of difference in the feelings in the blue camp a year ago – if CSKA was mostly stunned by losing their unlimited power, Levski harboured old grievences and felt victimized by the political regime once again. The Communists tried to destroy the club at least twice before, but true blue came back – and may survive again, give it time. As ever, the blow was heavier – the reds were just slapped in the face, their players given symbolic short suspencion (unknown Stoichkov nobody counted in either red or blue camp), but Levski had half a team out for life, the biggest stars. The reduced ability to recruit freely from the whole country was not a big concern for the blues: even at their most powerful years, when the club belonged to the Police, the Army had much more power and even obstructed some blue transfers. The true might of Levski was in self-dependency, in the players coming from their own youth system, boys with real blue hearts – from this point of view, Vitosha was in better position than Sredetz: already most of the team was made of former juniors and there was more young talent coming. Such players were loyal to the club, so Vitosha was not in danger of losing players, like Sredetz. Nor it had to fret over recruits, who mat refuse to join the club, because there were no longer perks. Sredetz dipped into its own junior system out of desperation – for Vitosha it was normal, traditional. But all that was general and in perspective. For many getting out of the Police claws was greatly beneficial, for it never stayed well with blue fans. To a point, the blue camp felt simultaneously angrier than the reds and relaxed – no big hopes for the 1985-86 season, so the weak performance was excused. Then suspencions were revoked, the stars came back and winning the Cup – like in the red camp – was mostly needed for restoring the winning spirit, as a confirmation that everything was coming back to normal.
Amnesties of the guilty and cup victories of Sredetz and Vitosha suggested clearly that the old status quo was going to be restored fast – and that was perhaps most important for the provincials and the secondary clubs in Sofia: equality was coming to a quick end. It was just a brief moment of freedom, not lasting ever a full year. Whoever was able to grasp the importance of the moment and take advantage was truly wise. Beroe did it, Trakia did it, Slavia failed to use the moment. And it was over already. Now, for blue and red, the only concern was to restore their ties to their old powerful sponsors – perhaps that ties were never completely cut off, but the need was to made them stronger and more open and official. Sredetz and the Army, as usual, did it quicker and even arrogantly so: they started the 1986-86 season with new name – CFKA Sredetz: Central Football Club of the Army. Their old name was CSKA – Central Sport Club of the Army. ‘Demilitarized’ Sredetz existed just a single season. The bottom line of the whole circus was rather sad: the chance of some normal development of football was lost once again. Instead of relative equality between provincial clubs and the two powerful teams from the capital and sport free of ‘influence’ and ‘favours’, everything went back to the old familiar – two clubs dominating and doing whatever they want at everybody else’s expense. Once Police and Army popped up, a number of clubs had to serve either Sredetz or Vitosha and everybody had to resign again the fact that Sredetz or Vitosha, or both, would take whoever players they desired from any provincial club. And at this moment Trakia’s lament that Vitosha gave away a match to Beroe and robbed them from a title loomed large: Beroe, no matter what really happene, owed a favour to Vitosha. And Vitosha will demand repayment in convenient for themselves moment. And Trakia? Well, Trakia will have to give points to Sredetz whenever generals order coronels to do so. Just like used to be for years.
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