December 9 – The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) plans to build a football academy with the financial help of FIFA and UEFA.
The president of the BFU, Georgi Ivanov, said in an interview with the Bulgarian National Television that FIFA and UEFA will provide the funds for the large-scale project, since the BFU does not receive any financial assistance from the state.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino and UEFA president Aleksandar Čeferin, were special guests in Bulgaria at the celebration of 100 years of organised football in the country.
The construction of the academy is expected to start next year.
“We have plans from the summer of next year to build a football academy, for which FIFA and UEFA will help us to build it. The main funding will come from these two organisations. We have absolutely no funding from the state. We may be the only ones in Europe who do not have financial assistance from the state,” Ivanov(pictured right with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin) said.
Ivanov expressed his satisfaction the gala evening ‘100 Years of Bulgarian Football’, but did not hide his disappointment that Dimitar Berbatov, Stiliyan Petrov and Martin Petrov, who were his competitors for the presidency of the BFU, were not present at the celebrations. It is alleged that they were not invited to the celebrations at all, although they are some of the most successful football players in the history of Bulgarian football.
“This was a moment in history, which was for the entire football community. The organization was difficult, but we are satisfied with the way the event went – despite some negative comments and reactions. I am extremely disappointed, however, that we shifted the focus of the event itself to who was invited and who was not. The event itself was not organized to invite former football players, but to take a step forward with our partners from FIFA, UEFA and all other representatives of the European federations,” said the BFU president.
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, at moc.l1733732376labto1733732376ofdlr1733732376owedi1733732376sni@o1733732376fni1733732376
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