CSKA Sofia Fans Protest Club's Downfall At Bulgarian Football Union's Headquarters

Angry CSKA Sofia fans "protested and threw stones and fireworks at the Bulgarian Football Union's headquarters on Saturday, angry at its lack of action as the debt-ridden club battles to avoid the obscurity of the amateur leagues," according to Angel Krasimirov of REUTERS. CSKA "will play in the amateur championship next season if it fails to merge with another first-division club in time for the start of the Bulgarian league on July 20." CSKA is "in serious debt" and last week coach Hristo Stoichkov said that it had declared bankruptcy, although that had not been confirmed by club management or the BFU. More than 1,000 supporters "marched in downtown Sofia, blaming the national body for being too strict and for not allowing a merger." Windows "were smashed and some fans threw fireworks and sprayed graffiti near the main entrance of the BFU's building" (REUTERS, 6/29).