Stadium in Kardzhali is being discussed as an option to host the Bulgaria-Hungary Euro qualifier football match on Nov. 16

The European qualifiers match between Bulgaria and Hungary will most likely be played in Kardzhali, the team of the newly elected mayor of the municipality Erol Mümün confirmed to BNT on November 13.

A meeting is currently taking place at the National Football Base (NFF) Boyana to work out the details of how “Arena Arda” stadium can host the match, scheduled for this Thursday (16 November) at 19:00.

The stadium in Kardzhali holds a three-star UEFA licence, and several years ago a European club tournament match was played there on Arda's debut in Europe.

In a press release earlier today, Plovdiv Municipality said it cannot provide the “Hristo Botev” Stadium to the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) for the period between November 14 and November 16 for the European qualifier between the men’s national football teams of Bulgaria and Hungary to take place there on November 16.

A representative of the company responsible for the construction works on the stadium, Iliyan Filipov, announced that the deadlines for the termination of the construction works, demobilization and bringing the construction site to a state in which it will not endanger the life and health of citizens is too short and there is no way this can happen in this period.

All the activities are planned in advance and are in line with the programme of Botev Plovdiv football club only and their implementation cannot be interrupted technologically and within the specified timeframe and in addition the construction site and adjacent areas cannot be secured, the statement said.

Given the circumstances, the Mayor of Plovdiv, Kostadin Dimitrov, reaffirmed his decision that the "Hristo Botev" stadium cannot be used by the BFU in the period between November 14 and November 16, the municipality’s press release further reads.

In an exclusive interview with BNT on November 13, Bulgarian Football Union President, Borislav Mihaylov, said:

If the Plovdiv Municipality decides that the “Hristo Botev” Stadium cannot host the Bulgaria - Hungary Euro qualification, the consequences for the Bulgarian football would be terrible.

"That's why I appeal to the people on whom this thing depends to show common sense and allow it to be played, because then Botev PD will stop playing football at all, and Loko PD and all the teams," Mihaylov said.

"A stadium not being made available is like refusing to organise a sporting competition, which means the state has not helped the federation to organise its match, which means interference, which means expulsion from UEFA. We're not just talking about depriving teams of participation in European tournaments, we're talking about blocking within a fairly long period the whole football in Bulgaria. This is unthinkable, there are no reasons for this to happen, it would be an absolute disaster," the BFU president told BNT.

"There is no reason why the match should not be played where UEFA has ordered. In the last week most of my colleagues have given all their time to explain the chronology of the events. We have received a letter from the Sofia Directorate of the Ministry of Interior that protests are being prepared inside and outside the stadium, he said. We brought this letter to the attention of UEFA and as the organiser of the match they decided that the match will be played in Plovdiv. The tension is artificially created by people who want to take power in the BFU. But that is why there are rules, there is a Congress. It is not true that we provoked some decision in UEFA. They decided the match to be moved from the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia to the Hristo Botev Stadium in Plovdiv and that it be held without audience, behind closed doors, because the stadium in Plovdiv is more compact," he continued.