PFC CSKA Sofia
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| Full name | PFC CSKA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | The Armymen, The Reds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | May 5, 1948 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Bulgarian Army Stadium Sofia (Capacity: 22,015) |
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| Manager | Dimitar Penev | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | TBI A Football Group | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007-08 | A Grupa, 1st place | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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PFC CSKA Sofia (Bulgarian: ПФК ЦСКА София) is a Bulgarian football club from Sofia. CSKA stands for Central Sport Club of the Army (Bulgarian: Централен спортен клуб на армията). Most of its home matches take place at the Bulgarska Armia (Bulgarian Army) Stadium. The club was officially founded on May 5 1948. CSKA has won 31 League titles and 23 National cups. Along with Celtic FC and Rangers FC, CSKA is the club that has the most domestic titles in Europe. The club boasts one of the greatest records of Bulgarian football teams in the European tournaments (2 semi-finals in the European Cup and 1 semi-final in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup).
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History
On October 28, 1923 in Sofia the clubs Atletik Sofia (founded in 1910 as Klub Futbol) and Slava Sofia (founded in 1916) merged into Oficerski Sporten Klub Aatletik Slava 1923(Officer's Sport Club Atletic Slava 1932, short AS-23 under the patronage of the Ministry of War which provided the equipment.[1] In 1931 AS-23 won the Bulgarian championship and The Tsar's Cup, followed by another Tsar's Cup in 1941. The stadium of AS-23 has named 'Atletik park' (finished in 1938) is on the spot were is present stadium „Bulgarska Armia“.[2]
With the partnership of Mihail Mihaylov from Shipka's, The AS-23, the united team of Shipka-Podeda and Spartak Orlandovtsi are merge into Chavdar Sofia. The unifying agreement was singed in November 9, 1944 in Sofia. Gen. Vladimir Stoychev from As-23 was appointed as the new club's chairman. Ivan Bashev was a secretary and the person in charge of football.[3]
'Chavdar' played in a blue strip. The club played at 'Atletik park' which was now renamed to 'Chavdar'. The physical training was inspected by the boxer Konstantin Nikolov.[3] Chavdar were relegated to the second division in 1947. With help from Mihail Mihaylov (who worked in the Minisrty of War) Chavdar became the departmental club to the Central house of the troops taking the name 'CDV'. Major Ivan Mirski was chosen as club chairman.
In May 1948 an agreement was signed between the football players of "Septemvri" and the team of "Chavdar" for uniting under the name "Septemvri pri CDV" (Central house of the troops). The board of the newly created club included: honorable chairman - general lieutenant Georgi Damjanov, the minister of defense, chairman - general major Bojan Balgaranov; deputy chairman - colonel Tashev, Petar Mihajlov, Alexander Valchev and Ljubcho Kralev. The board included 5 more members. The contract was signed on the 5th of May and that is considered to be the club's date of foundation.
The club's first official game took place on May 19th 1948 against Slavia Sofia at the Junak (Bulgarian: Юнак) stadium - 1:1 The club's first title campaign started in May and finished in the beginning of September 1948.
Septemvri pri CDV(Sofia) eliminated Aprilov Gabrovo and Spartak Varna on its way to the finals.
The team reached the national finals, where it faced Levski Sofia losing 1:2 in the first match. The decisive match was on September 9th. Referee - Stephan Danchev. Team of Septemvri pri CDV: Stephan Gerenski, Borislav Futekov, Manol Manolov, Dimitar Cvetkov, Nikola Alexiev, Nako Chakmakov (captain), Dimitar Milanov, Stojne Minev, Stephan Bozkov, Nikola Bojilov, Kiril Bogdanov. Goals scored: Dimitar Milanov(2) and Nako Chakmakov. A marvellous victory 3:1. Nako Chakmakov sealed the victory with a last minute goal. That was the first significant champion year for CSKA Sofia.
On June 19, 1985, the final game of the Bulgarian Cup between CSKA Sofia and city rivals Levski Sofia took place at the Vasil Levski National Stadium. During the game both teams demonstrated extremely poor sportsmanship; the match saw several brutal fights and an attack on a referee. CSKA won the game, but the players' behavior percipitated a major scandal. By decree of Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party, both teams were disbanded. CSKA Septemvriisko Zname was renamed "Sredets" and Levski-Spartak was renamed "Vitosha". Both teams were playing under these names for several years. Additionally, several major players including Kostadin Yanchev, Borislav Mikhailov, Plamen Nikolov, Emil Spasov, Emil Velev and yet unknown Hristo Stoichkov were prohibited from participating in club games for varying periods of time. In 1988 the name CSKA was restored.
In early June 2008, UEFA notified the Bulgarian Football Union that CSKA will not receive a license for participation in the UEFA Champion's League and other European tournaments because of financial problems.[4] The BFU then speculated that this would mean that CSKA would not be able to take part in the A Professional Football Group of Bulgaria, effectively turning it back into an amateur team. Attempts to arrange a settlement with UEFA were unsuccessful and CSKA lost its right to compete in the UEFA Champions League in favor of the runners-up PFC Levski Sofia[5]. Eventually CSKA managed to fulfil all requirements set by the BFU and was allowed to compete in Bulgaria's A PFG[6]. The person generally blamed for the situation was Alexander Tomov, chairman of the supervising council of CSKA, which hints at the irrationality of soccer fans.
Name
CSKA has carried a plethora of names in its history. In chronological order they are:
- Септември при ЦДВ /September to Central House of the Troops/ in 1948 and 1948/49.
- Народна войска /People's Troops/ in 1950.
- ЦДНВ /CDNV - Central House of the People's Troops/ in 1951 and 1952.
- Отбор на софийския гарнизон /Team of the Sofian garrison/ in 1953.
- ЦДНА /CDNA - Central House of the People's Army/ from 1954 and until the 1961/62 season.
- ЦСКА Червено знаме /CSKA Red Flag/ between 1962/63 and 1967/68.
- ЦСКА Семптемврийско знаме /CSKA September Flag/ between 1968/69 and 1984/85.
- ЦФКА Средец /CFKA Sredets - Central Football Club Of The Army/ from 1985/86 and until 1988/89
- ЦСКА София /CSKA Sofia - Central Sports Club Of The Army/ from 1989/90.
Bulgarian Army Stadium
The team's home stadium, "Bulgarska Armia", was completed in 1967 and stands on the same spot as its predecessor, "Atletik Park." A plan for major renovation has been adopted.
Sector G
Sector G is the north stand of Bulgarian Army Stadium. This part of the stadium is the main stand for the supporters of CSKA.
Players
Current squad
As of July 2008
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Reserves squad
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For recent transfers, see List of Bulgarian football transfers 2008-09.
Notable players
For the club's 55th anniversary an extended team of the club's best ever 55 players was chosen:
- No 1 - Georgi Velinov, Stefan Gerenski, Stoyan Yordanov, Georgi Naydenov, Yordan Filipov
- No 2 - Ivan Vasilev, Ivan Zafirov, Kiril Rakarov, Dimitar Tsvetkov, Borislav Futekov
- No 3 - Boris Gaganelov, Trifon Ivanov, Georgi Iliev - Michael, Manol Manolov, Kiril Stankov
- No 4 - Tsonyo Vasilev, Georgi Enisheynov, Nikola Kovachev, Hristo Marinchev, Georgi Tsvetkov, Krasimir Bezinski
- No 5 - Stefan Bozhkov, Georgi Dimitrov - Dzheki , Panteley Dimitrov, Radoslav Zdravkov, Bozhil Kolev
- No 6 - Nikola Aleksiev, Dimitar Penev, Boris Stankov, Gavril Stoyanov, Plamen Markov
- No 7 - Tsvetan Atanasov, Tsvetan Yonchev, Emil Kostadinov, Dimitar Milanov, Stefan T. Stefanov
- No 8 - Kiril Bogdanov, Georgi Dimitrov - Chervenia, Asparuh Nikodimov, Hristo Stoichkov, Nako Chakmakov
- No 9 - Spas Dzhevizov, Petar Zhekov, Panayot Panayotov, Lyuboslav Penev, Nikola Tsanev
- No 10 - Nikola Bozhilov, Georgi Denev, Ivan Kolev, Lachezar Tanev, Dimitar Yakimov
- No 11 - Dimitar Marashliev, Stoycho Mladenov, Vasil Romanov, Stoyne Minev, Krum Yanev
Coaches history
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Honours and achievements
Bulgarian Championship – 31 (record)
- 1948, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1966, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2008
Bulgarian Cup – 10
- 1981*, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2006
Cup Of The Soviet Army – 13
- 1951, 1954, 1955, 1961, 1965, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1985*, 1986*, 1989*, 1990*
Bulgarian Super Cup – 3 (record)
- 1989, 2006, 2008
UEFA European Cup/Champions League
- 1/2 Final (1967 vs Inter Milan, 1982 vs Bayern Munich)
UEFA Cup
- Groups stage (2005)
UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup
- 1/2 Final (1989 vs Barcelona)
Kit
Kit manufacturers
- 1948-mid 70s - ?
- mid 70s-1982 - Adidas
- 1982-1985 - Puma
- 1985-1991 - Adidas
- 1991-1992 (Season's 1st part) - Abm Pro
- 1991-1992 (Season's 2nd part) - Umbro
- 1992-1993 - Erreà
- 1993-1995 - Lotto
- 1995-2000 - Puma
- 1999-2000 (Season's 2nd part) - Nike
- 2000-2003 - Lotto
- 2003-2004 - Asics
- 2004-present - Uhlsport
Shirt sponsors
- 1948-1989 - No sponsor
- 1989-1990 - Comco
- 1990-1996 - Sintofarm
- 1996-1999 - Multigroup
- 1999-2005 (Bulgarian Championship) - No sponsor
- 2001-2002 (UEFA Cup) - Sintofarm
- 2003-2004 (UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup) - Transimpex
- 2005-2008 - Vivatel
- 2008-present - No sponsor
Trivia
- The first ever coach of CSKA Sofia Konstantin Nikolov - Zamorata was a heavyweight boxer.
- During the first years of the club the ball for the kick-off has been often dropped by plane over the field
- Even nowadays sometimes the team comes on field accompanied by a Bulgarian army march due to the club's army origin and heritage
- CSKA Sofia has only once played in second division in Bulgaria.
- The stand for the most loyal team supporters is the North terrace and it's known as "Sektor G" but CSKA fans full the stadium very rare.
- CSKA Sofia has been marked several times in the Guinness World Records
- The club stadium is nicknamed "The army"
- Scottish writer Irvine Welsh appeared on Slavi's Show with a CSKA Sofia fan club T-shirt
- There are over 1058 trophies in the CSKA Museum of glory in 29 sports; 142 of them are football trophies and awards.
- CSKA Sofia holds the largest number of football records in Bulgarian football
- Petar Zhekov has scored 144 goals for CSKA during 1968-1975
- CSKA Sofia won all possible domestic trophies during season 1988-89 : Champion title, Cup of Bulgaria, Cup of the Soviet army, Bulgarian supercup and the Republic spartakiada cup.
- CSKA Sofia is famous for winnig a lot of friendly international tournaments. Recently the club is co-promoter of Play Station tournament in Soifa.
- Dimitar Yakimov was often called "the poet of football" due to his great football techniques
- Dimitar Penev was honnored as "The coach of 20th century" for Bulgaria
- The famous offensive trio of CSKA - Hristo Stoichkov, Emil Kostadinov and Luboslav Penev have played a major role in the Bulgaria national team success in the 90s.
- According to the National fan club data CSKA Sofia has 785 fan clubs at home and abroad, with around 180 000 members
- The music group Ladytron features a song called "CSKA Sofia" on their 2001 album 604
- Most consecutive titles - 9 (record)
- Most goals in a single match - 6 - Petar Mihaylov in 1951, vs Torpedo Ruse
- Most goals in a single season - 38 - Hristo Stoichkov in 1989/90 (record)
- Most times champion as player - 12 - Manol Manolov (record)
- Most times champion as coach - 11 - Krum Milev (record)
- Biggest win - 12:0 in 1951 vs Torpedo Ruse (record)
- Biggest win over Levski Sofia - 5:0 in 1953 and 1989
- Biggest loss - 0:8 in 1998 from Litex Lovech
- Biggest loss from Levski Sofia - 1:7 in 1994.
Biggest win in European tournaments:
- UEFA Champions League - 8:1 in 1956/57 vs Dinamo Bucuresti
- UEFA Cup - 5:0 in 1999/2000 vs Portadown
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup - 9:0 in 1970/71 vs Haka
Biggest defeat in European tournaments:
- UEFA Champions League - 1:6 in 1957/58 vs Vasas Budapest
- UEFA Cup - 1:5 in 1994/95 vs Juventus
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup - 0:3 in 1965/66 vs Borussia Dortmund
Footnotes
- ↑ Сп. „ЦСКА“, брой 15, 2003 г.
- ↑ „Това е ЦСКА!“, стр.8, Димитър Пенев
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 С рогите срещу историята, Sport1.bg
- ↑ http://sportni.bg/index.phtml?tid=40&oid=1206299 УЕФА отсече: ЦСКА е аут!, Netinfo Sport, 2008-06-05 (retr. 2008-06-21)
- ↑ http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/news/kind=1/newsid=731486.html Levski aim to ride their luck, uefa.com, 2008-07-10
- ↑ http://www.bfunion.bg/index.php?request=news&set_month=8&news_id=1009 Съобщение на Лицензионната комисия при БФС, bfunion.bg, 2008-08-05
External links
- Official website
- Official forum
- CSKA Sofia Ultimate Internet Fan Club
- Bulgarian clubs - CSKA (Sofia)
- CSKA Poker
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PFC CSKA Sofia
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Football in Bulgaria
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