This Sunday (December 21), the DIT hall in Dragalevtsi will be the arena for a charity tournament - 30 teams will kick for Lyubo Penev. The entrance fee is 200 leva, and all funds will be donated to his treatment in Germany. In addition, there will be a box for voluntary donations, bTV reported.
It is here that Lyubo Penev played his last matches in small stadiums, before disappearing from the public eye a few months ago. It was later revealed that he was suffering from advanced cancer and had been admitted to a clinic in the former GDR.
Some teams are so enthusiastic that they are gathering over 20 players ready to join the cause.
A few days ago, the CSKA Foundation announced that Penev had already undergone the first stage of immunotherapy - a treatment in which infected cells are “trained” to attack the sick before being returned to the body. The therapy is permanent and requires long-term support.
The first stage of treatment costs 25,302.49 leva, transferred from the foundation's donation campaign. As of December 19, over 600 donors have responded, and the amount available in the account is 57,517.17 leva. The foundation is also adding 30,000 leva of its own for current and future expenses.
Former Bulgarian national team player Valeri Bozhinov will take part in the charity tournament, which will be held tomorrow in “Dragalevtsi“ and the funds from which will go to the treatment of the legend of Bulgarian football Lyuboslav Penev. Bozhinov came out with a post on social media, which makes it clear that CSKA and Levski have joined forces in the organization, having provided the jerseys for the tournament, writes "Tema sport".
“When football is more than a game! On December 21, between 09:00 and 14:00, in the DIT hall – Dragalevtsi, we are gathering not just for an auction, but for a cause! To lend a hand to a man who has given his heart to Bulgarian football for years – Lyuboslav Penev.
I appeal to the media to be sympathetic and cover the event! And last but not least, I want to thank Levski and CSKA for providing the shirts for this charitable cause! Because Goodness is Contagious!“, wrote Bozhigol, who is a former striker for the Blues.