The great football legend Emil Kostadinov, who is the sports director of CSKA 1948, gave an interview to Sportal.bg in Antalya. The hero from "Park des Princes" spoke on various topics related to Bulgarian football. Koshta said that Levski's executive director Daniel Borimirov must have been joking when he said that he expected blows below the waist in the spring. The former Porto, Bayern Munich and Fenerbahçe star added that he does not understand the meaning of the rule for Bulgarian players in efbet League teams.
What is the state of CSKA 1948 and what is the reason for the strong performance in the championship?
– The current state is like a preparation – hard training, control matches are played, this is normal. The second place in the championship is due to the team we have. I think we attracted very good players and thanks to this the team is playing well.
What are the chances of the second place growing into the first?
– We still have a lot of games left and a seven-point difference. So we still have a chance for the first place.
And who is the favorite for the title?
– I expect tough matches for all teams. And who will win the championship title, we will see around May.
Are you expecting blows below the belt? Your colleague from the golden generation Dani Borimirov said so.
– Well, he must be joking.
Andre Villas-Boas personally invited you to Porto – Benfica. Tell us a little about that experience.
– That's right, I received an invitation and decided to visit this interesting derby. Everything went very well, I saw many friends, many colleagues from the past. It really went well.
What needs to happen for us to have a footballer in a top team again? You were in Bayern and Porto, Stoichkov in Barcelona, Lyubo in Valencia, in more recent times Berbatov in Manchester United.
– Yes, and in more recent times we have had footballers in very strong teams, in clubs from the top 5 championships. Now we have one, but one bird doesn't make a spring. I think the younger generation is considered stars with two or three good matches, and journalists are also largely to blame. You make them stars at the age of 19. I'm sorry to say it like that - I'm not throwing stones in your garden. You just want to show that there is a good footballer, but in the end, one or two matches won't do. In my time, everything was very harsh. I think the young can't stand this pressure. I mean the new generation.
You say that Stoichkov was a predator. And how would you describe yourself on the field?
– Maybe a bigger predator (laughs).
And Lyubo? To finish with the legendary army trio.
– Lyubo was a more laid-back character.
Both he and Bobby are in a state where they are struggling...
– I want to wish them well and let's be together again!
Your opinion on the tournament in Indonesia, which is coming up for the national team?
– As far as I know, this is pretty much mandatory. If you don't have friendly matches arranged beforehand, FIFA or UEFA send you somewhere. So it's still good to have such matches. The distance is a bit far, but ultimately we don't have the right to choose at this moment.
What is the biggest problem of Bulgarian football?
– First, young people very quickly start thinking that they have become footballers. And a young footballer takes a long time to build. Secondly, there are not enough coaches who deal only with children's and youth football. None of the more experienced ones want to deal with this kind of football. And it won't work with just young coaches.
How do you evaluate the BFU rule for Bulgarians?
– How should I evaluate it... I can't understand what the idea is and what the benefit of this is. Okay, the idea is for more Bulgarians to play and for there to be players for the national team. For more Bulgarians to play, but at what age? I think a 31-year-old player is no longer fit for the national team. Or, let's put it this way, he's past his peak for this.
Dimitar Penev passed away quite recently.
- There were only bad occasions. In the end, he created me as a player, plus Simoliata and Sergi Yotsov, may God forgive them. I should also mention Paro Nikodimov, may he be alive and well. Dimitar Penev gave me a chance to be a football player.
It's like when someone leaves, then the positive reviews start.
- That's what we were talking about... Same thing with Kalin Terziyski. We think about people after they're gone. We all need to think about the fact that we should respect each other while we're alive, not afterwards.
Finally, something for football fans?
- To go to the stadiums, to hope, to support their teams, even when they're playing poorly. Without the fans, our football won't be interesting and won't grow.