June 20 – American player agency CRD Sport is the new owner of Bulgarian top tier club Beroe Stara Zagora. CRD has acquired 100% of the club’s shares from the ‘Football Support Association – Beroe’.
For Beroe, this is the second change of ownership in less than two years. In February 2022 state owned TPP Maritsa-East 2 EAD, which had financed the club for years, withdrew. Since then, the club has been functioning via the newly created association and donations from the Municipality of Stara Zagora.
The American palayer agency CRD Sport is represented in Bulgaria by Hernan Banato, who attended the signing of the contract in Stara Zagora. The agency represents a number of players, mostly in North and South America.
In recent months, CRD had tried to acquire Pirin Blagoevgrad, whose shares were held by Blagoevgrad Municipality after the surprise departure of former owner Paul Belogour. In the end, both the representatives of CRD Sport and the mayor of Blagoevgrad Ilko Stoyanov were unable to successfully conclude the negotiations.
Banato said that his company’s plan is to invest between €4-5 million in the first year of its tenure.
Apart from the first team, there is investment targeted for Beroe’s second team as well as the club’s academy. Around 15 new players are expected to arrive at the club in the summer. Beroe currently have just 12 players on professional contracts, with a large number of players having left at the end of the season after their contracts were not renewed.
Immediately after the change of ownership, a new coaching team was appointed, led by the Argentine Gustavo Aragolasa.
Banato also announced that Beroe is changing its kit supplier to Canadian company Dryworld, whose main face is Brazilian legend Ronaldinho. Banato added that his company would do everything possible to bring the former Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Milan player to Stara Zagora and become Beroe’s ambassador.
“We will be the first club in the world to be represented by a big star. It will be the legendary Ronaldinho Gaucho, who will become the symbolic godfather of this new step in Beroe. I hope that with this step we will make sponsors and fans happier. We are planning a lot of things, we are doing our best to bring Ronaldinho to Stara Zagora,” Banato said.
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, at moc.l1716213972labto1716213972ofdlr1716213972owedi1716213972sni@o1716213972fni1716213972