Borislav Mihaylov, the controversial president of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) is being investigated for participation in match-fixing and ties to illegal lottery operators. This is not the first time Mihaylov has been accused of similar dealings.
The investigation comes soon after a mass protest in Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital and will see the Prosecutor’s Office probe into Mihaylov to see if the allegations are founded in reality. According to the office, multiple recent media reports have claimed that ties exist between the soccer president and foreign black market lottery operators (simply referred to as black lottery).
As mentioned, this is not the first time Mihaylov has made headlines with his alleged relationship with foreign black lottery companies. BIRD.bg, an investigation and data journalism project previously reported that in 2011, Mihaylov celebrated New Year in the company of Tan Seet Eng, a match-fixing specialist from Singapore.
For reference, Tan Seet Eng, also known as Dan Tan, is a controversial figure who has been involved in multiple match-fixing scandals.
Bulgarian Soccer Fans Are Unhappy with Mihaylov’s Reign
As mentioned, the current investigation comes in the wake of a huge protest on the streets of Sofia that saw many soccer fans express their disgruntlement with Mihaylov. According to multiple fervent fans, Mihaylov’s almost two-decade-long reign as president of the union has led to a steady decline within the Bulgarian soccer sector.
The president’s opponents accused him of turning Bulgaria into a “soccer dwarf” and making a string of bad decisions. The protests exploded around the BFU’s decision to not allow audiences at the European Qualifiers match between Bulgaria and Hungary.
Some claim that Mihaylov’s goal has always been to “hide” the game to avoid on-stadium protests. According to the allegations, this may be further attested by the BFU’s earlier plans to move the game to Plovdiv, another big Bulgarian city.
In a recent speech at The National Assembly, however, Mihaylov claimed that the protests had been caused by paid actors. While the BFU president was unable to back up these claims with facts, he further suggested that the protests may have been sparked by Dimitar Berbatov, his main competitor for the position.
Mihaylov even added that he is proud of the BFU’s recent work, claiming that its recent decisions have managed to “save lives.” He said that he refuses to be turned into a “scapegoat” by his opponents and refused to take responsibility for the damages caused by the recent protests against him.