CSKA Ex-President: Political Mafia Rules Bulgaria Football

Former "Kremikovtzi" CEO and CSKA Football Club President, Alexander Tomov. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Notorious ex-President of the Bulgarian CSKA Football Club, Alexander Tomov, accused the former cabinet of political scheming of the country's football.

Tomov spoke Monday in an interview for the morning block of the Bulgarian TV channel bTV and declared former Prime Minister and leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, Sergey Stanishev, and his entourage were the main culprits for the CSKA license revocation.

On June 3, 2008, UEFA revoked the license of Bulgaria's football champion, an act which would have prevented the club from participating in the Champions' League.

The revocation created a storm of controversy with riots of the club's fans in Sofia. Angry football fans forced Tomov to resign from his post as club president on June 5th. On June 27, UEFA reissued CSKA's license.

The former FC President said Stanishev and the circle around him attempted to use the same schemes to take over the steel mill Kremikovtzi and CSKA and that the club's financial troubles were staged because those in power were unhappy with him paying taxes and insurance based on the players' real salaries.

Tomov presented an official National Revenue Agency (NRA) document showing the club did not owe any taxes. He stated there has not been any money drained from either Kremikovtzi or CSKA and both companies were in great shape when he was heading them.

Tomov reiterated his adamant denials of draining money from the FC through transfers.

"I have no objections for the revenue agents. The mafia in Bulgaria is a political mafia not a tax mafia. When I declared the football players' real income last year, the accusations that I am throwing off balance the Bulgarian football began pouring in. They were players making EUR 13-14 thousands per month, foreign players, this is normal, we had to attract them with something. All CSKA insurance was paid when I was the Club's President," Tomov said in the interview.

Tomov is currently indicted for document fraud and embezzlement of over EUR 5 M from CSKA and BGN 29 M from the „Kremikovtzi" steel mill.

If proven guilty, Tomov and the other three defendants face between 10 and 20 years behind bars.

 

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!