The new executive director of the BFS stated that there are no qualified personnel to maintain the grounds. The football union "will try to get people from Western Europe to do training for clubs and municipalities".
The new executive director of the Bulgarian Football Union Andrey Petrov was a special guest in the studio of “Arena Sport” according to BNT. He shared that entering his new position is not a shock for him, as he has gained enough experience in recent years.
„I have worked actively with Mr. Borislav Popov for the past 6-7 years, so my entry into the new position is not a shock for me. I learn on the go. I take advice from Mr. Georgi Ivanov. I am a communicative person, I try to communicate with all my colleagues and get feedback from them in order to work even better,” commented Petrov, who will officially take office on October 1.
„I know the system well, I have worked in many different positions. It's positive from my point of view, but I always have one thing in mind. Sitting only in this system I do not know the outside world. Now I need to communicate with the maximum number of people who are outside the system. To find out their opinion on burning issues. Communication with the clubs will be a priority. We need to communicate with all clubs, from professional to regional structures. The amateur and children's clubs too. The fans and the media are also an interested party, our desire is to communicate with everyone in the chain”, said Petrov.
The new executive director also commented on the topic of redirecting the Eternal Derby between Levski and CSKA.
„I am not very familiar with the case, because at that time I was performing another position in the BFS. This shows that we have a serious infrastructure problem. In Sofia, we have one stadium that can host Levski – CSKA. In the given case, the match could not be held because of a concert. For me, it was the most correct decision - to move the match and hold it with supporters. From now on, this case should be an earring in our ears”, said Petrov.
The new director also commented on the performance of the national football team in the League of Nations, as well as Northern Ireland's claims about the state of the grass cover in a large part of the stadiums in our country.
„We have identified the problem with the maintenance of the grass cover for a long time. We have come to the conclusion that there is no qualified staff to maintain the grounds. In Western Europe, there are agronomists specializing in "Landscaping" who are assigned to the teams and are responsible for the grounds. I don't know if there are such people in Bulgaria at all. We will try to get people from Western Europe to do training for the clubs and municipalities, because to a large extent the municipalities are the owners of the stadiums. The problem has become ubiquitous”, comments Petrov.
Regarding the new face of the national team, Petrov said the following: “Selector Ilian Iliev is doing well, there is emotion, positive energy in the team. It is significant that the stadium in Plovdiv was full for the match with Northern Ireland. Hopefully the whole stadium will be completely sold out at the next game. The collective must be the leader, this applies to every single level in our country, not only in football. We Bulgarians are a bit individualistic, if we talk more about unification, not only on holidays, things will turn out better for us”, Petrov is categorical.
He is adamant that BFS has a good team. Petrov also shared that he works excellently with the plant's president, Georgi Ivanov. “I think there is an excellent team. With some of the colleagues we have been working together for years, now we also have new colleagues who come from the corporate world. Our desire is to turn the BFS into a business organization. For me, sport in Bulgaria is not a business. I work with Mr. Georgi Ivanov extremely easily. He is extremely experienced, he knows Bulgarian football and the system. It is a pleasure to work with him. We have a good communication and I learn a lot from him,”, said Petrov.
The new executive director also shared his opinion on the possibility of forcing more young Bulgarian footballers into the home football. “We are yet to start communication with professional clubs about how professional clubs are developed and run. One of Mr. Georgi Ivanov's wishes is for the professional league to administer the championship. We are working on the development of football at the regional level. We need to create the conditions to prepare quality young footballers to be ready for men's football. But how does a young athlete feel, up to 21 for example, if he has to be on the field necessarily. How does he feel, is he playing because of his qualities or because of such a rule. It's complicated,“, said Petrov.