DJ’S JOTTINGS – NUMBER 25 (Bulgaria)

 

 

Matchday images (7) >Lokomotiv Mezdra>  >Botev Plovdiv> >Litex Lovech> 

 

A party of nine intrepid travellers journeyed out from Gatwick to Sofia in November 2008. The scheduling of games and size of the group dictate that a hired minibus with driver is the best transport option for the whole weekend. Arriving around mid-day on the Friday, we have a tight schedule for the 100km journey north to Mezdra, much of it on slow mountainous roads.

 

Football in Bulgaria was started by students returning from Vienna and Istanbul, after the country gained independence in 1909. The early student teams were soon replaced by more organised institutions such as Slavia Sofia and Levski Sofia, the two oldest surviving clubs. A national championship began in 1937, but from 1945, under Communist rule, Bulgarian football remained insular with the biggest teams representing state bodies. Levski became an arm of the Interior Ministry and CSKA was formed as the army side. The traditionally bourgeois Slavia, fell out of favour and lost their best players, CSKA winning 9 consecutive titles in the 50’s. Levski, with Georgi Asparoukhov to the fore, gained some honours in the 60’s. Levski and CSKA had to disband for a while after fighting between the players of both sides at the 1985 Cup Final. Sofia clubs still dominate Bulgarian football, but towns such as Plovdiv, Varna and Lovech, have had some success.

 

On the international stage, Bulgaria had only gained silver and bronze Olympic medals, until achieving 4th place at the 1994 World Cup. Many of that side, including Letchkov, Kostadinov, Penev, Bonev and Hristo Stoichkov, became household names and soon moved to ply their trade with other European clubs.

 

Mezdra’s Stadion Lokomotiv is alongside a river, and railway yards. Capacity is listed as 3,400 making it the smallest ground in the top division, but the official crowd for our visit is shown as 4,700! The far side has a large bank of open seating and a small standing area set into a natural bank. The far end has open bench seating for away fans, although they all opt to stand throughout. For a sum of 5 Levs (£2.50) this includes us. The only other spectator facilities are an upstairs viewing area at the clubhouse, providing the only cover at the ground, and flat hard-standing along the near side, for members and VIP’s only.

 

Lokomotive Mezdra take on the country’s most successful club, CSKA Sofia and although the visiting league leaders look the better side and twice go in front, Mezdra hit back on each occasion, making it 2-2 in the 2nd minute of stoppage time. Good atmosphere in with the away fans, lots of red and yellow smoke canisters and an inflatable policewoman on a pole!

 

Our driver takes us back to Sofia, where we check-in at the Hotel Aris, set in a quiet side street in the cultural and administrative quarter. Find the excellent Hadjidraganovite Kashti nearby. Hadji Dragan was apparently a wool and silk trader who 100 years ago decided to start a small chain of restaurants. The waiting staff appear in ethnic costumes, there’s live folk music and the menu is on large wooden pages. The massive platter of assorted cakes and pastries that comes as a dessert rounds off a splendid meal.

 

Enjoy a Saturday morning stroll in the old part of the city centre, with the Vitosha mountain range forming a very scenic backdrop. There are a number of interesting buildings, notably the Aleksander Nevski Church with gold leaf domes, and St. George Rotunda, Sofia’s oldest structure.

 

Decide to decline the easy option of a game at Levski in order to make full use of the minibus and head for Plovdiv, 140 kilometres south-east of the capital. Plovdiv is supposed to be Bulgaria’s most appealing city although we don’t see much evidence to support this. Also don’t notice the Bulgarian quirk of nodding to say no, or shaking the head to mean yes, but then we are not on nodding terms with too many Bulgars.

 

The Stadion Hristo Botev is a big old 21,000 capacity bowl. Continuous open seating round most, mainly wooden benches, with only about 100 covered seats for the VIP’s. One section of terracing on the far side. 12,000 crowd and only £2 to enter for a keen local derby between Botev Plovdiv and Lokomotiv Plovdiv. Very enjoyable game ends in a 2-2 draw. A couple of the group went to the Levski game instead and some of the home fans celebrated victory by smashing up the tram they were on. What would have happened had they lost ?

 

A bit of a mix-up on our meeting time means a 2 hour wait for the mini-bus. Back in Sofia, visit the only home-brew establishment, The Mayor’s Pub that seems to be a restaurant, disco and nightclub as well as a bar. Evidence Bulgaria being ‘the most corrupt country in Europe’ (allegedly) when we have to pay a supplement to get in because one of our party is wearing trainers. The food and beer are worth it though.

 

Back on the mini-bus for the final game on the Sunday, having double and triple checked times with our driver. Head north to Lovech, 160 kilometres north-east from Sofia. The Gradski Stadium is in an industrial area near the river of what is a fairly small town. Another bowl shaped ground with individual green or orange seats around most of it. Cover once again, only for the very important spectators and small sections of terracing at each end. As with all of the games we see an ancient looking fire appliance is in attendance in case the flares get out of hand.

 

Only about 1,000 spectators pay the equivalent of £1 to see Litex Lovech play Spartak Varna in the top division. Litex are generally on top throughout and win a reasonable game, 2-1. Lovech were league champions and cup winners around the Millennium after Grista Ganchev, a former wrestler and Chairman of the Litex company bankrolled the club. 

Complete our trip with another good meal at ‘Hadji’s’ before returning home on the Monday morning.

contributed on 16/02/10