July 25 – The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) has threatened three of its top tier clubs with sanctions over the quality of their pitches following the first round of the efbet League which the BFU said were endangering the health of the players.
Warning letters were sent to FC Hebar Pazardzhik, FC Botev Vratsa and FC Krumovgrad. The first two played their home matches at their own stadiums – ‘Georgi Benkovski’ and ‘Hristo Botev’ – while FC Krumovgrad used the Botev Plovdiv training base, as their stadium in Krumovgrad does not meet the requirements for holding efbet League matches.
The three clubs have until their next home match to fix the problems in their stadiums or find another venue.
“The Bulgarian Football Union issued a warning to FC Hebar, FC Krumovgrad and FC Botev Vratsa regarding the condition of the grass surfaces of the stadiums where the teams host. After the matches of the first round of the efbet League, the Sports and Technical Commission of the BFU referred to the Licensing Commission, which convened an extraordinary meeting”, said the BFU in a statement.
“At the meeting, the condition of the grass surfaces was discussed, and in this regard it was decided that the pitches of the stadiums of FC Botev Vratsa (Hristo Botev stadium), FC Heber (Georgi Benkovski stadium) and FC Krumovgrad (Komatevo stadium in Plovdiv) do not provide the necessary conditions for the normal holding of football matches. Official letters were sent to the three clubs stating the need for urgent measures to improve the turf.
“After making the improvements, the aforementioned committees should be notified, and in case of impossibility to take the necessary measures by the date of the next home match, then alternative stadiums should be provided for holding efbet League football matches,” added the BFU.
A few hours after the BFU warning, the mayor of Pazardzhik, Petar Kulenski, announced that the Municipality of Pazardzhik, which is the owner of the ‘Georgi Benskovski’ stadium, had begun urgent repairs.
“Pazardzhik Municipality, together with FC Hebar, is taking urgent action to restore the grass cover and the field at the Georgi Benkovski Stadium. Thanks to our joint work, within the next 40 days we will be able to provide and lay a modern grass cover of the latest generation, covering all European standards with a high degree of durability. Extremely high heat is the main cause of grass disease. In the week before the start of the championship, extreme temperature amplitudes combined with long-standing deficiencies of the drainage system and the low quality of the soil input have led to this condition.
Regardless of the objective or subjective reasons, it is unacceptable for the pitch to look like this and we are therefore taking immediate measures to upgrade it so that the turf is significantly more sustainable going forward. The methodology for supervising the supporting activities will also be changed in order to strive for the best possible experience for athletes and guests,” said Kulenski.
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, at moc.l1734931220labto1734931220ofdlr1734931220owedi1734931220sni@o1734931220fni1734931220