A demonstration by thousands of Bulgarian football fans in Sofia to demand the resignation of the president of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFS) and its leadership turned violent on November 16, resulting in injuries and arrests.
Minutes before the kickoff of a qualifying match between Bulgaria and Hungary for next year’s European football championship, fans began throwing homemade bombs, stones, and plastic bottles at the police, who warned protesters to stop before using water cannon to break up the demonstration.
Dozens of people were arrested, and local media reported several injuries among protesters and the police.
Bulgarian fans are angry with the BFS over the national team's poor results, including recent losses to Albania in a friendly and to Lithuania in another qualifying match. Fans were further angered by a decision to move the November 16 match to Sofia and play it without fans in the stands.
The BFS was behind the decision to move the match from Plovdiv to Sofia, where it took place without an audience because of the “risk of riots.”
Fans said the move was “unprecedented” with no other case in football history in which a federation voluntarily asked to host a football match without fans.
Football fans and citizens for weeks have protested against the BFS and its leadership during domestic league matches, accusing it of mismanagement, corruption, lack of transparency, and a persistent refusal to take responsibility. BFS President Borislav Mihailov and the current management have headed the federation for 18 years.
The Bulgarian national team hasn't qualified for a major tournament in nearly two decades, and the match on November 16 against Hungary added further insult when it ended in a 2-2 draw. Bulgaria looked set to win until defender Alex Petkov put the ball in his own net seven minutes into stoppage time. The point gave Hungary what it needed to secure its spot at Euro 2024 in Germany.
The protest that took place before and during the match involved fans of different football teams and ordinary citizens, all demanding the resignation of Mihailov, who was goalkeeper and captain of the national team that placed fourth at the 1994 World Cup.
More than 3,000 people gathered around the cordoned-off perimeter of Sofia's Vasil Levski stadium, where thousands of police officers were also present.
The protest began peacefully with demonstrators chanting "Resignation," "Down with BFS," and "Mihailov out." Some held posters with slogans opposing the leadership of the football union and its president.
Shortly after 6:20 p.m., tensions escalated after some of the demonstrators started throwing objects at the police. After several warnings failed to calm the situation, they used two water cannons and pushed the crowd back toward the Sports Ministry building.
The protesters set fire to a bus, and dozens of garbage cans were turned over and their contents set on fire.
Video recordings said to be taken at the scene showed citizens being beaten and arrested. The police also raided a bar, beating the patrons and arresting some of them.
Violence Breaks Out At Protest To Demand Resignation Of Bulgarian Football Federation Leaders
Demonstration in Sofia to demand resignation of football union leadership turns violent.