By Alexander Krassimirov in Sofia
February 28 – The American owner of Bulgaria top tier club Pirin Blagoevgrad, Paul Belogour, has announced that he is stepping down to focus on his other business ventures.Belogour said that he will be passing his shares in the club to the Municipality of Blagoevgrad free of charge and without any future financial claim.
In an open letter to fans, Belogour said: “Together we achieved our most important goal. We returned Pirin there, where he belongs – in the First League, among the best. For the second year in a row, we are among the elite of Bulgarian football. I am extremely pleased that I was able to help the team in any way.
“I have always given my heart and soul to my favorite team. Many improvements were made. The grandstand was repaired, changed and added seats, a major renovation was carried out in the administrative building, an electronic board was provided. The changing rooms were renovated, the spare benches were replaced, a new bus was purchased, a new fence was installed at the stadium”, said Belogour.
Explaining that after three years he is now going to focus on his businesses in Australia and the US, he said: “I will donate all my shares to Blagoevgrad Municipality absolutely free of charge. I believe that this is what is best for the club. The city and the Municipality turned out to be our most reliable partners.”
While he will be out of the ownership of the club, Belogour said he will not be leaving them behind completely.
“I will continue my relationship with Blagoevgrad and the club. I own a TV station in this beautiful city – Bulgarian Broadcasting Group BBG. I will be one of the advertisers of Pirin. This way I will show the other people with business here that it is an honor and a privilege to continue to support a century-old team, which produced great footballers,” he said.
A few days after Belogour’s resignation, the mayor of Blagoevgrad Ilko Stoyanov held the first of a series of meetings with local businesses to get their buy-in to a plan to keep the club funded and in the top flight.
Stoyanov is looking to lay an initial foundation of 20 to 50 supporting companies, which will help with the teams finances via sponsorship and advertising. The Municipality, he said, will guarantee full transparency in the management of the club finances which will be made public.
Thanking local businesses for their support to date, Stoyanov said: “I fully share your position that the financial burden should be distributed among more people. The more people get involved, the easier it will be for everyone, and that in turn will ensure even more serious control over the processes. If we lay the groundwork, I’m sure we’ll attract more people to this idea. And that refers not only to the football club, but to every single project concerning the development of Blagoevgrad.”
Contact the writer of this story, Alexander Krassimirov, at moc.l1713926245labto1713926245odlro1713926245wedis1713926245ni@of1713926245ni1713926245