By Alexander Krassimirov
August 15 – Former Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov (pictured) has taken a stand on the issue with the Russian energy giant Gazprom and the possible sponsorship deal with Levski Sofia. Gazprom is expected to become a major sponsor of the club in near future, a deal that has been leveraged through a government agreement for a pipeline crossing Bulgarian territory. This has led to a burst of indignation from all other clubs in Bulgarian top flight.
Last week 13 clubs wrote to present Prime Minister of the country Plamen Oresharski, asking Gazprom to support all the clubs, not just one club – Levski.
It is believed that Boyko Borisov had played an important role in recommending Levski Sofia to the Russian company.
“There is no club in Bulgaria, which I haven’t tried to help in the last four years during my government. I don’t talk only about football. There are two options and they depend solely on Gazprom. If they wish – they can become a sponsor of the entire tournament. That would be wonderful. If they want – they can become a sponsor of the team they want,” said Borisov.
“I just allowed myself to recommend this to Gazprom, because the state has no money for sport. It is not right, the government never supports companies.
“I inaugurated the new stadium of Ludogorets and their training grounds. We have helped with whatever we can. We gave a million levs to Beroe and Botev to install seats of their stadiums. We gave a million leva to Lokomotiv Plovdiv to install electric lights. We found a sponsor for Neftochimik Burgas – Lukoil Company. We found Bulgartabac (Bulgarian tobacco holding company) for Pirin Blagoevgrad. I could list probably 10 more teams.
“Let Gazprom consider the situation. Whoever it is, it is important to put money into our football. That was my goal.
“If they choose to sponsor the championship – it will be good. If they choose to sponsor a single club – it will be good too, but they need to consider the different options. They are a major sponsor of the Champions League, so they can easily become a major sponsor of our championship. When we talked with them, they were looking for a single club,” concluded Borisov.
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