Central Sofia was rocked by violent clashes with police on Thursday (16 November) evening as demonstrations demanding the resignations of senior football executives spiralled out of control.
The protests were scheduled to coincide with a Euro 2024 qualifier match between Bulgaria and Hungary, played in a closed stadium.
Journalists covering the protest said they had “never seen anything like this”.
Protesters gathered outside the centrally-located ‘Vassil Levski’ stadium to protest against the leadership of the Bulgarian Football Federation (BFS), led by its President Borislav Mihailov.
Mihailov is a former goalkeeper and captain of the national team during its greatest success in history – a semi-final match at the 1994 World Cup in the USA.
He became the head of the federation in 2005. Since then, football in Bulgaria has declined, with the national team failing to qualify for the finals of any major championship.
Protesters accuse the BFS of mismanagement, corruption, lack of transparency and a persistent refusal to take responsibility.
They chanted “Resignation”, “Down with BFS”, and “Mihailov out” and held up posters condemning the leadership of the football union and its president.
What started as a peaceful protest quickly deteriorated as hooligans threw stones at police and set fire to vehicles, including a police bus.
Police violence against peaceful protesters was also reported. Reportedly, 1,600 policemen were mobilised to maintain order during the protests.
As the protests continued, the police issued several warnings to protesters, but they were not heeded. Authorities then used water cannons to push the crowd back from the stadium.
In footage captured by various television stations, clashes continued, and citizens were beaten and arrested by police. In one incident, police raided a bar where they beat all the patrons before arresting some.
Several police officers were injured, as well as many protesters. Dozens more were arrested.
“After so much blood, go away”, former Prime Minister and leader of the GERB party Boyko Borisov wrote on his Facebook profile, demanding the resignation of Mihailov.
Borissov also attacked his political enemies, including the mayor of Sofia, Vassil Terziev, who won the election on 5 November, beating the GERB candidate.
“And those who allowed a protest, after which Sofia is in flames and water cannons, and citizens, fans and police are fighting – you are not good! Take responsibility!” Borissov said.
Borissov was prime minister for many years of Mihailov’s tenure.
In the meantime, the match ended with Hungary qualifying for the Euro 2024 finals with a game to spare after a last-gasp own goal from Alex Petkov earned them a 2-2 away draw against Bulgaria.
[Edited by Alice Taylor]
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