Match-fixing tales erupt as Platini lands in Sofia

Allegations of match fixing and illegal betting in Bulgarian football erupted in the national media on Friday ahead of a trip to Sofia by UEFA President Michel Platini this weekend.

“Fixed matches investigated in Bulgaria,” the daily 7 Dni Sport announced on its front page, while the mass-circulation Trud daily titled a two-page report: “Scandalous allegations of illegal betting.”

This followed other investigations into match-fixing, broadcast earlier this week on Bulgarian television.

According to 7 Dni Sport, European football governing body UEFA had alerted Bulgaria’s organised crime unit about possible match-fixing in a 2009 Bulgarian Cup game between second-division sides Marek Dupnitsa and Kaliakra Kavarna.

Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) chief Borislav Mihaylov denied the reports but said the issue would be on Platini’s agenda Sunday in Sofia.

“Some (clubs) support themselves financially in this way,” Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov told bTV private television Friday when asked about the match-fixing claims.

However, he refused to say whether a probe was underway, noting that the ministry could only investigate concrete signals from the BFU and not allegations.

Both bTV and state-owned Bulgarian national television broadcast this week extensive programmes on illegal-betting and match-fixing schemes they claimed were widespread among Bulgarian second-division clubs.

The reports sparked an outburst of reactions, with some even claiming that parts of the interviews were faked.