April 30 – Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia have called on the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) to sanction CSKA Sofia’s striker Fernando Karanga and the CEO of the club Stoyan Ormandzhiev after ugly scenes marred the match at Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia.
CSKA recorded another victory over Levski in the Bulgarian championship play-offs, winning 3-1.
After CSKA’s first goal, striker Karanga (pictured) made an obscene gesture towards Levski fans, imitating severing a head. The Brazilian received a yellow card, but Levski is calling for a far more serious sanction.
Hours after the end of the game, Karanga used social networks to send insulting messages to Levski.
Levski are also demanding Ormandzhiev is sanctioned after referencing on social media a derogatory song sung by CSKA fans aimed at Levski.
Levski published an open letter to the Bulgarian Football Union saying: “PFK Levski expresses its indignation at the behavior of football players and managers in CSKA-Sofia after the match on Saturday.
“The three moments we highlight are the gesture of Fernando Karanga, with which he imitates severing a head.
“The second is his publication on social networks – ‘Everything is still normal in Bulgaria! We killed the cow again’.
“The third is a comment under a post on the social networks of the executive director of the club, Stoyan Ormandzhiev, with which he draws special attention to an extremely obscene song addressed to our club.”
Levski said their actions are the opposite of fair play and while “we may have lost on the field, but we have never allowed ourselves to tarnish the prestige of the opponent, as we have witnessed against us. We categorically cannot ignore insults to our club with nearly 110 years of history, even more so in the explosive atmosphere of the last few matches between the two teams. We believe that in this situation we should be even more an example of European behavior and dictate a good tone, not disrespect and insults…” continued the Levski letter.
“When a competitor in the competition publicly humiliates, insults or insults another competitor in any way, he is punished with suspension of rights for up to 3 matches and a fine in the amount of BGN 3,000”, as well as Article 37 par. 17, item 2 – “Whoever publicly says or does something derogatory to the honor or dignity of a referee or another participant in a football match in print, television and electronic media shall be punished for insult as follows: Football player: a fine of BGN 4,000.”
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, at moc.l1716273454labto1716273454ofdlr1716273454owedi1716273454sni@o1716273454fni1716273454