December 11 – Ugly scenes marred last weekend’s big derby in the Bulgarian championship between CSKA Sofia and Ludogorets in the last round of the efbet League before the winter break.
The match should have been a celebration for the hosts from CSKA and its fans, as they marked the last game at the Bulgarian Army stadium before its demolition and the construction of an entirely new facility in the centre of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.
Nearly 20,000 spectators came to the stadium to bid a final farewell to its current vision.
Instead, the match descended into chaos and at the end violence.
The game, that lasted more than 115 minutes, was interrupted several times due to extraordinary choreography in the stands by CSKA fans who, in addition to the enormous banners, used hundreds of fireworks and smoke bombs. With smoke drifting across the pitch the poor visibility forced the referee to stop the game on several different occasions.
In the end, Ludogorets won 1-0 with a goal in the 108th minute that marred the hosts’ celebrations. The winning goal for the Bulgarian champions from Razgrad was scored by former CSKA player Spas Delev.
With the Ludogorets players and staff celebrating their win in front of the CSKA ultras, fans stormed on to the field, with some confronting and physically attacking the Ludogorets players and staff.
Ludogorets goalkeeper coach and former Bulgarian national team player Zdravko Zdravkov was injured and needed medical attention before being escorted off the field by his colleagues.
The intervention of the many police officers in attendance and the players of both teams prevented more serious incidents.
In the end, the match between CSKA and Ludogorets will go down in history as the last match at the Bulgarian Army Stadium, which is one of the oldest and most famous stadiums in Bulgaria.
From today, CSKA will begin the demolition of the Bulgarian Army Stadium – one of the oldest and most famous stadiums in Bulgaria – and being construction of a new and modern stadium in its place. The construction of the new stadium will take between 18 and 24 months and will cost the club around BGN 90 million (€45 million). Its capacity will be 16,000 seats and will meet UEFA’s criteria for hosting matches from European club competition.
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, at moc.l1714866704labto1714866704ofdlr1714866704owedi1714866704sni@o1714866704fni1714866704