The Bulgarian interior ministry said that Bulgarian police "are investigating claims that fixers attempted to rig the results" of domestic football matches, according to Angel Krasimirov of REUTERS. The ministry said, "A specialized police operation in connection with received signals of match-fixing is taking place in Sofia and the country." The interior ministry spokesperson "would not disclose details about games under suspicion" or the number of football-related people being questioned. Bulgarian Football Union Press Officer Pavel Kolev said, "I can confirm that the action is conducted with the knowledge and assistance of the Bulgarian Football Union." A witness "saw at least four players from the domestic top flight, including former Bulgaria internationals Alexander Tunchev and Martin Kamburov, visiting a police department in Sofia on Wednesday." Media reports of match-fixing and corruption "have been rife in the
Balkan country for years." Many Bulgarian football fans believe that "match-fixing has affected the game with a number of matches in the domestic top flight attended by less than 1,000 spectators." Bulgaria "passed amendments to its penal code in 2011 that makes match-fixing and illegal sports betting a crime." Anyone convicted of attempting to fix events "will face up to six years in jail" (
REUTERS, 12/10). The AFP reported "the probe centred on matches involving Lokomotiv Plovdiv last season." But Lokomotiv Dir Atanas Uzunov "downplayed the allegations." Uzunov said, "Lokomotiv Plovdiv cannot be implicated in match-fixing. I suppose that this (probe) concerns something old" (
AFP, 12/10).
