The Bulgarian national football team’s European Championship qualifier against Hungary scheduled for this Thursday is about to be canceled. Serbia would suffer more.
The city of Plovdiv cannot release the stadium, which is currently under renovation, for the game in Group G, Mayor Kostadin Dimitrov told the Bulgarian media on Monday (11/13/2023). “It cannot take place because otherwise there would be a risk to human life.”he explained.
Dimitrov’s statement comes as a particular surprise as UEFA had already announced on November 6th that the high-risk game in Plovdiv would take place behind closed doors. Information has been received about expected public unrest in and around the stadium.
Does the construction company have concerns?
According to Hungarian media, the cancellation of the game in Plovdiv was requested by the construction company responsible for the current renovation. The company apparently stated that no sporting events should be held in the stadium between November 13th and 20th for safety reasons.
Reason: During this period, part of the roof structure will be completed and therefore the safety of the construction site, including several areas and external infrastructure, cannot be guaranteed.
Play without a fight to Hungary?
Canceling the qualifying match would mean it would be counted as a 3-0 win for Hungary. This would ensure that the Hungarians will take part in the 2024 European Football Championship. Bulgaria itself is at the bottom of the table with just two points. Serbia is currently the second-placed team, only one point behind Hungary, but has played one more game.
Sofia excluded as a venue
The President of the Bulgarian Football Association (BFS), Borislav Mikhailov, appealed to those responsible to do something so that the game could take place. A rejection would be one “absolute disaster”, he told the Bulgarian television station BNT. The European football union UEFA could exclude Bulgaria from all international competitions for many years, Mikhailov said.
There is now talk of a short-term relocation to another stadium in Bulgaria. However, hosting the game in the capital Sofia had already been ruled out earlier. The police declared themselves unable to protect the venue against violent Bulgarian hooligans.
“Game is taking place”
Viktor Ignatov, the press spokesman for the Bulgarian association, said in response to a request from the Hungarian online portal “Nemzeti Sport” on Monday (11/13/2023): “If there are changes to the venue, we will announce this through our official channels. At this point in time I can say that the game will take place in Plovdiv.”