By Alexander Krassimirov
March 7 – Portuguese giants Benfica have agreed to reduce their fee to €200,000 to participate in an exhibition game against Levski Sofia to mark the Bulgarian club’s 100th anniversary.
Levski Sofia celebrates its centenary in May this year, and the club is planning a number of events, despite being in the middle of its own financial crisis.
Initially Benfica had requested a much higher fee, but in the end this was significantly reduced. The final negotiations between the two clubs are still being completed, but reports are that they have reached an understanding. Another option for Levski had been Italy’s Lazio.
The majority of the money will be covered by the game sponsor, television rights and advertisements in the stadium. It is expected the match will be played May 24, but the Portuguese club will be without some of their star players because of the upcoming World Cup in Brazil.
Levski has released a commemorative postage stamp on the occasion of the 100th anniversary. The new stamp for the club represents the composition of the team from 1933, when it won its first Bulgarian title. There are 20,000 copies of the stamp.
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