Bulgarian football legends gave the initial kick-off to the FAN CUP sport event IN SOFIA
Dimitar Penev and Ivan Tishanski with a first blow for the FAN CUP sport event in Sofia
Two legendary Bulgarian national football players Dimitar Penev and Ivan Tishanski gave the kick-off in the first match of the Fan Cup tournament in Sofia. The event brought together in the Sportna Sofia complex elite amateur teams from the capital, which will announce two new winning teams for the grand final in Albena in the fall.
“It’s good to have more such tournaments. This is where everything in football starts. The most important thing is to have fun with the game, so have fun first!” wished the participants one of the best defenders in Bulgarian history and long-time responsible for children’s football in Bulgaria Ivan Tishanski.
“This tournament takes me back in time and reminds me of my youth. Amateur football is the basis of professional football, more such competitions will be good for the growth of clubs and the national team, ” said Dimitar Penev, who led Bulgaria to bronze at the World Cup ’94 in USA.
Then the two drew lots and together gave the first blow to the first match between the teams of “Rural Armada” and “Bulgaria on Air”, whose coach and manager is Tishanski.
The Fan Cup competition brings together the elite amateur teams from the region. So far, finalists have been determined from the mini-football tournaments in Stara Zagora, Pazardzhik, Sandanski, Gorna Oryahovitsa and Montana. Now in Sofia the nominated finalists will be joined by two new teams. The very first matches in the groups confirmed the expectations for quality and fair play. Tomorrow, Sunday from 16.00, the direct eliminations from the quarterfinals upwards are planned, shortly after 19.00 the final will start, immediately after that is the awarding and closing of the tournament in Sofia.
The matches are played on an artificial field on the playgrounds in the Sportsna Sofia Complex. Among the partners of the organizers from the “Association Sport in the Free Time” in the implementation of the project under the Erasmus + program of the European Union are the European Football Development Network, the European Federation of Mini-Football, Italian Football Referees Association and many more.
After Sofia this weekend, the qualifications in the chain of amateur tournaments Fan Cup will end with the regional competition in Varna (June 12-13). The grand final is scheduled for September 13-17 in Albena.
