One of the most absurd and commented injustices in the history of Bulgarian football remains the event from the spring of 1982, when CSKA was one step away from the final of the European Champions Cup (ECC).
Decades after the memorable battles, the story of how the army's top scorer Spas Dzhevizov was deprived of the right to play against the colossus Bayern Munich due to a red card in the domestic championship against the eternal rival Levski, continues to excite fans.
In the following lines we tell about this precedent, which Dzhevizov himself describes as a “world phenomenon“.
“The Golden Era“ and a snapshot of Bulgarian football
In the early 1980s, Bulgarian club football was at its absolute peak, and the national stadium “Vasil Levski“ deservedly earned the fame of “a graveyard for European champions“. CSKA is a real terror on the Old Continent, having already dethroned the reigning European champions Ajax and Nottingham Forest before the clash with Bayern. At the club level, our football has an exceptional class, built entirely of local talents, since the transfer system at the time did not allow players to move abroad before they turned 28.
Behind the brilliance of the pitch, however, lies a heavy administrative machine. Football is highly politicized, and the decisions of the BFU (then the Bulgarian Football Federation) are often dictated by party interests, departmental battles between the ministries behind CSKA and Levski, and backstage games. It is in this environment of administrative arbitrariness that one of the greatest precedents is born.
Who is Spas Dzhevizov?
Born in Plovdiv, Spas Dzhevizov is an emblematic figure for the army club. Between 1976 and 1984, he played 205 games and scored an impressive 96 goals in the “A“ group, becoming a four-time champion of the country. In the 1979/80 season, Dzhevizov also became the top scorer of the championship with 23 goals.
Known for his power, uncompromising play in the penalty area and perfect rebound, he is the perfect battering ram – player around whom the entire offensive power of CSKA is built. It is no coincidence that his name is sung in some of the most popular songs of the “red“ fan club.
The battle of the “Eternal Derby“ and the native madness
Everything happened weeks before the first semi-final for the European Championship in the spring of 1982. In a match of the native championship, CSKA defeated Levski 2:1, but the match was marked by sparks and enormous tension on the pitch. The striker of the “reds” Spas Dzhevizov got into a serious physical clash on the touchline with the defender of the “blues” Plamen Nikolov, after being provoked. Dzhevizov hit his opponent and both were sent off with red cards.
Instead of the standard punishment, which would apply only to matches in Bulgaria (as are the ironclad rules of UEFA), the native leaders made an unprecedented and shocking decision. Under the influence of the internal club lobbies in the federation, the officials punished Dzhevizov not to play in the team's next official match at all – which automatically removes him from the first semi-final clash for the European Cup against Bayern Munich.
Spas Dzhevizov: “I am a world phenomenon“
The top scorer himself has repeatedly shared his bitterness over this decision in his interviews. In front of the sports portal Webcafe (https://webcafe.bg/sport/394642108-cherveniyat-spas-notingamski.html) and in publications shared by CSKA fan communities on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CSKAFC/photos/...), Dzhevizov stated:
„I am a world phenomenon. I did not play against Bayern because I was expelled from Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Football Union punished me not to play in the first semi-final clash for the European Cup against Bayern because of an offense in the domestic championship. True and unique madness! Instead of enjoying the successes and helping our teams, you are hindering them.“
This case remains unique, as the practice of transferring disciplinary sanctions from domestic championships to UEFA tournaments has absolutely no legal basis at the international level. Even then, UEFA remains perplexed, but since the Bulgarian federation itself withdraws the player's documents, the European headquarters has no way to intervene.
What did Dzhevizov and CSKA miss?
Dzhevizov's exclusion from participation seriously weakened the attack of the “army“ for the most important match in their history. Despite the absence of its leading battering ram, on April 7, 1982, CSKA created a real furor at the “Vasil Levski“ stadium. The “Reds“ led Bayern 3-0 by the 18th minute, before the match ended with an epic 4-3 for the Bulgarians.
However, in the second leg in Munich, where Dzhevizov was already back in the game, CSKA lost 0:4 and missed the chance to reach the final. Many experts still believe that if the powerful striker had been on the field in Sofia to put the German defense under constant pressure, CSKA could have won with a much more convincing result and decided the final outcome of the semi-final in the first match.
Dzhevizov's story remains as an eternal monument to the domestic football paradoxes of the socialist era, in which club feuds and bureaucratic decisions in Sofia dealt a blow to the greatest successes of Bulgarian football in Europe.