Football in Bulgaria

Football in Bulgaria
Vasil Levski National Stadium
CountryBulgaria
Governing bodyBulgarian Football Union
National teamBulgaria national football team
First played1894; 132 years ago (1894)
National competitions
Club competitions
International competitions

Football (Bulgarian: футбол, futbol) is the most popular sport in Bulgaria. Around 40% of the people in Bulgaria are football fans.[1] The sport 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 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. Botev Plovdiv was founded in 1912, Slavia Sofia in 1913, and 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. 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, in total of seven participations to date. In the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Bulgaria did reach the round of 16. 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.[2][3][4] Bulgaria is also three times European champion in under-19, three times Balkan champion, and three times Balkan Youth champion. The titles won by the national team make Bulgaria one of the best performing nations in European football competitions.

Bulgarian football competitions

Crime and corruption

Between 2003 and 2013, 15 club presidents or previous owners of Bulgarian top league clubs were murdered. A leaked US diplomatic cable of 2010 claimed that since the end of Communism, allegations of illegal gambling, match fixing, money laundering, and tax evasion abound in Bulgarian football, which has become a symbol of organised crime's corrupt influence on important institutions.[5][6][7]

Most successful clubs overall

See also: List of football clubs by competitive honours won

local and lower league organizations are not included.

Club Domestic Titles European Titles Overall titles
Parva Liga Bulgarian Cup Secondary cup (1981–1982) & (1983–1990) & (1991) Bulgarian Supercup Total European Railways Cup Balkans Cup Total
CSKA Sofia [a] 31 21 5 4 61 - - - 61
Levski Sofia 26 26 4 3 59 - - - 59
Ludogorets 14 4 - 8 26 - - - 26
Slavia Sofia 7 8 - - 15 - 2 2 17
Lokomotiv Sofia 4 4 - - 8 2 1 3 11
Lovech 4 4 - 1 9 - - - 9
Beroe Stara Zagora 1 2 - 1 4 - 4 4 8
Botev Plovdiv 2 4 - 1 7 - 1 1 8
Lokomotiv Plovdiv 1 2 1 2 6 - - - 6
Vladislav Varna [b] 3 - - - 3 - - - 3
AS-23 [a] 1 1 - - 2 - - - 2
Spartak Plovdiv 1 1 - - 2 - - - 2
Etar 1 - 1 - 2 - - - 2
13 Sofia - 2 - - 2 - - - 2
Cherno More Varna [b] - 1 - 1 2 - - - 2
Lokomotiv Mezdra - - - - - 1 - 1 1
Akademik Sofia - - - - - - 1 1 1
Spartak Varna 1 - - - 1 - - - 1
Sportklub Sofia [c] 1 - - - 1 - - - 1
Ticha Varna [b] 1 - - - 1 - - - 1
Marek Dupnitsa - 1 - - 1 - - - 1
Septemvri Sofia [c] - 1 - - 1 - - - 1
Shipka Sofia [a] - 1 - - 1 - - - 1
Sliven - 1 - - 1 - - - 1
Spartak Sofia - 1 - - 1 - - - 1
  • The articles in italic indicate the defunct leagues and the defunct cups.
  • The figures in bold indicate the most times this competition has been won by a team.

Attendances

The average attendance per top-flight football league season and the club with the highest average attendance:

Season League average Best club Best club average
2018–19 1,881 Levski 5,817
2017–18 1,753 CSKA Sofia 5,019
2016–17 1,638 CSKA Sofia 4,217
2015–16 2,108 Levski 3,558
2014–15 2,034 Beroe 4,069
2013–14 1,798 CSKA Sofia 4,364
2012–13 2,606 Botev 8,071
2011–12 2,117 CSKA Sofia 4,227
2010–11 1,883 Chernomorets 4,084
2009–10 1,834 Chernomorets 3,996
2008–09 2,862 Levski 5,967
2007–08 2,891 CSKA Sofia 5,313
2006–07 2,790 Levski 7,572
2005–06 3,157 Levski 6,228
2004–05 2,763 CSKA Sofia 4,813
2003–04 2,854 Lokomotiv Plovdiv 6,333
2002–03 3,344 CSKA Sofia 7,462
2001–02 4,007 Neftochimik 8,750
2000–01 5,392 Levski 13,216
1999–2000 6,859 Beroe 13,600
1998–99 — — —
1997–98 — — —
1996–97 — — —
1995–96 6,799 Neftochimik 17,500
1994–95 7,479 Levski 17,133
1993–94 4,646 Levski 9,367
1992–93 6,554 Botev 12,467
1991–92 5,186 Levski 8,773
1990–91 7,486 Hebar 12,533
1989–90 8,183 Dunav 13,400
1988–89 9,570 Levski 14,500
1987–88 8,700 Levski 12,750
1986–87 9,225 Beroe 17,667
1985–86 9,044 Botev 13,100
1984–85 10,031 Volov 21,600
1983–84 9,367 Botev 13,733

Source:[8]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c In November 1944, AS-23 and Shipka Sofia and Spartak Poduene merged to form Chavdar Sofia, which ultimately laid the foundations to what is known today as CSKA Sofia. Together all predecessor clubs and CSKA Sofia have won 64 titles.
  2. ^ a b c On 18 February 1945, SC Ticha and SC Vladislav merged to form Ticha-Vladislav nowadays Cherno More Varna. Together all predecessor clubs and Cherno More Varna have won 6 titles.
  3. ^ a b On 5 November 1944, Sportklub Sofia was merged with Sokol Sofia and Vazrazhdane Sofia and a new club was founded on Sportklub Sofia's basis – Septemvri Sofia, who is also its official descendant. Together all predecessor clubs and Septemvri Sofia have won 2 titles.

See also

References

  1. ^ https://countrycassette.com/rankings-sports-football-fans-by-country/
  2. ^ "Bulgaria: Can Soccer Success Mean Business? - Baltimore Sun". Articles.baltimoresun.com. 31 July 1994. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  3. ^ "WORLD CUP '94; Bulgaria, a Small Foot in Soccer, Steps Closer to Glass Slipper - New York Times". The New York Times. Germany; Bulgaria. 11 July 1994. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  4. ^ "BBC SPORT | Football | Euro 2004 | Bulgaria | The alternative guide to Bulgaria". BBC News. 21 May 2004. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  5. ^ "WikiLeaks: Bulgarian Soccer Symbol of Organized Crime, Corruption - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency". www.novinite.com. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Bulgarian football's 'mafia links' exposed in cables". Yahoo News. 3 January 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Welcome to the beautiful game". The Economist. 13 July 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  8. ^ https://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/nav/attnbgr.htm
  • Пайташев, Румен (2001). "Футболът в България". Световна футболна енциклопедия. София: КК Труд. pp. 10–11. ISBN 954-528-201-0.
allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soccer_in_Bulgaria