PFC CSKA Sofia (Bulgarian: ПФК ЦСКА София)

PFC CSKA Sofia (Bulgarian: ПФК ЦСКА София), commonly known as CSKA or CSKA Sofia (internationally) is a Bulgarian association football club based in Sofia, which for most of its existence competed in A Football Group, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. CSKA is abbreviation for Central Sports Club of the Army (Bulgarian: Централен Спортен Клуб на Армията). The club was officially founded in 1948, even though its roots date back to an army officers' club founded in 1923. At present, however, the club does not have any direct ties to the Bulgarian Army.
Since its formation, CSKA has won 31 domestic titles and 20 national cups and is the best performing Bulgarian football club based on the all-time national statistics.[1][2] Internationally, CSKA has reached two European Cup semi-finals, four European Cup quarter-finals, and one Cup Winners' Cup semi-final, also making it the best performing Bulgarian club in the European club competitions.[3]
The club's home colours were red and white. CSKA's home ground was the Balgarska Armia Stadium (Bulgarian Army Stadium) in Sofia with capacity of 22,015 seats. The club's biggest rivals were Levski Sofia, and matches between the two sides were commonly referred to
as The Eternal Derby in Bulgaria.
Contents  [hide]
1 History
1.1 1923–1948
1.2 1948–1962
1.3 1960s
1.4 1970s
1.5 1980s
1.5.1 The 1985 disbandment
1.6 1990s
1.7 2000s
1.7.1 The 2008 crisis
1.7.2 2008–2009
1.7.3 2009–2010
1.7.4 2010–2011
1.7.5 2011–2012
1.7.6 2012–2013
1.7.7 2013 Ownership change
2 Honours
2.1 Domestic
2.2 European
2.3 Other Trophies
3 European record
4 Names
5 Club badge
6 Players
6.1 Current squad
6.2 On loan
6.3 Foreign players
6.4 On trial
6.5 International players
7 Club officials
7.1 Board of directors
7.2 Current technical body
8 Bulgarian Army Stadium
9 Supporters
10 Notable players
11 Notable foreign players
12 Managerial history
13 Club kits
14 Shirt sponsors
15 References
16 External links
History[edit]

1923–1948[edit]


AS-23 in the mid-1930s


The unifying protocol of Chavdar (1944)
In October 1923, football clubs Athletic Sofia and Slava Sofia merged to form AS-23, short for Officer's Sports Club Athletic Slava 1923, under the patronage of the Ministry of War, which provided the equipment. In 1931, AS-23 won their first Bulgarian championship and The Tsar's Cup, followed by another Tsar's Cup in 1941. The club's stadium (completed in 1938) was named Athletic Park and was on the same spot where the Bulgarska Armia Stadium now resides.
On 9 November 1944, with the support of Mihail Mihaylov, an accountant at the Ministry of War and a patron of Shipka Sofia, a unifying agreement was signed, merging AS-23, Shipka, and Spartak (Poduene) to form Chavdar Sofia. Gen. Vladimir Stoychev from AS-23, who at the time was fighting on the front in World War II, was appointed (by telegram) as the new club's chairman. Lawyer Ivan Bashev, a future Bulgarian foreign minister, was appointed club secretary and the person in charge of football.[4]
Chavdar played at Athletic Park, which was soon after renamed Chavdar Stadium. The newly formed club remained in the top flight only three seasons, however, and in 1947 it was relegated to second division.
1948–1962[edit]
With the help of Mihail Mihaylov again, in February 1948 Chavdar became the departmental club of the Central House of the Troops (Bulgarian: Централен дом на Войската) and took on the name of CDV. Looking for ways to halt the club's decline, CDV's administrators sought to merge it with another club. In May 1948, an agreement was reached between CDV and Septemvri Sofia (who had already earned a place in the play-offs) for uniting the clubs under the name "Septemvri pri CDV" (September at CDV). The contract was signed on 5 May 1948, which is officially considered the club's date of foundation and thus the club was saved from relegation from its communist fathers. The official emblem of the club, which remains until present days, was centered on a large, red star, representing the communist party (similar to the stars in the flags of the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China).
1960s[edit]
In 1962, CDNA was united with DSO Cherveno Zname to form CSKA Cherveno Zname (CSKA Red Flag). The Central House of the People's Troops ceased its affiliation with the club, which was taken over by the Ministry of People's Defense. CSKA finished third after Spartak Plovdiv and Botev Plovdiv in the 1962–63 season. The following season, CSKA had its worst performance in the Bulgarian championship to date, finishing 11th in the final table, which led to the sacking of legendary coach Krum Milev. CSKA did not recapture the title until 1966. During the 1966–67 season, however, CSKA made its first major international achievement in reaching the semi finals of the European Cup for the first time, where it faced Italian grand Inter Milano. After two hard-fought 1:1 draws, a third decisive match was played, which CSKA lost 0:1.[5]
The next two seasons were unmemorable for The Army Men, as they finished in 5th and 2nd place consecutively. CSKA was again joined with Septemvri Sofia in 1968, and the club took the name CSKA Septemvriysko Zname (CSKA September Flag). The club clinched the title in 1969 with the help of the recent acquisition of Petar Zhekov, who would go on to become the top Bulgarian goalscorer of all time - a record he still holds today.
1970s[edit]


CSKA Sofia in 1973
The 1970s are widely considered the period when CSKA made its name on the European stage. The club began the decade modestly, claiming second place domestically and reaching the Round of 16 in 1970–71 European Cup Winners' Cup, where they fell to English side Chelsea F.C. 0:2 on aggregate.[6] But from 1971 to 1973, CSKA won three consecutive titles and delivered one of the biggest surprises in European football when it eliminated reigning three-time European champion AFC Ajax - considered the finest team of all-time - 2:1 on aggregate in the 1973–74 European Cup.[7] They faced German champion Bayern Munich next in the quarter finals. After losing 1:4 in the first leg in Munich, CSKA bowed out of the competition following a 2:1 win at home.[8] Between 1975 and 1979, the club won two more domestic titles.
1980s[edit]
Season 1980–81 was again a memorable one for CSKA Sofia, winning the Bulgarian title once more and twice beating European champion Nottingham Forest, both times with 1:0, before being stopped by the future European Champion Liverpool F.C. with a 6:1 on aggregate in the quarter finals of the European Cup.[9][10] The very next season, CSKA reached their second European Cup semi final in a row, eliminating Spanish champions Real Sociedad, Glentoran F.C., and reigning European Champion Liverpool after losing 0:1 in England and winning 2:0 at home with two goals by Stoycho Mladenov. In the semi final, the Reds again faced Bayern Munich. The first leg was held in Sofia and started with a full dominance over Bayern, as by the 16th minute CSKA were leading 3:0 in front of 85 000 jubilant spectators who saw the European final in their dreams. But the final result was 4:3 for CSKA. In Munich, the club suffered a 4:0 defeat and left the competition.[11] In the domestic league, CSKA did not let go of the title until the 1984–85 season, where they finished second behind archrival Levski, but still managed to reach the Bulgarian Cup final.
The 1985 disbandment[edit]
On 18 June 1985, the final for the Bulgarian Cup was held at the Vasil Levski National Stadium between CSKA and Levski. The match was marked by many disputable referee decisions and saw several brutal fights, including an assault on a referee by some of Levski's players. CSKA won the game 2:1 even though they had missed a penalty when the score was 2:0. By decree of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party, both teams were disbanded. CSKA was renamed Sredets and Levski was renamed Vitosha. Several players were banned from participating in official games for varying periods of time, including Hristo Stoichkov and Kostadin Yanchev from CSKA. One year later, the committee's decision was reversed and the players were reinstated.
As Sredets, the club finished in fourth place in 1985–86. In 1987, to the name of the club was added the abbreviation of CFKA, effectively renaming it to CFKA Sredets (Central Football Club of the Army Sredets), and the following three years were marked by a formidable performance, even as Septemvri Sofia ended their 20-year partnership with CFKA in 1988 and became an independent club again. Coached by Dimitar Penev, CFKA won the title in 1987 and 1989 and reached the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup semi finals against FC Barcelona in 1989. In reaching this stage, CFKA had eliminated Roda JC after penalty kicks following a 2:1 win at home and a 1:2 loss away. Barcelona, coached by former Dutch international Johan Cruijff, won both matches (4:2 in Spain and 2:1 in Bulgaria) and CFKA were eliminated, but Cruijff did notice the talent of Hristo Stoichkov and decided to draw him to Barcelona the following year, effectively launching Stoichkov's international career.
1990s[edit]
The decade, immediately following the fall of communism, brought turbulent changes to the Bulgarian football, and the club was not spared. The name CSKA was restored starting with the 1989–90 season and they won the title again. In March 1991, former footballer and administrator Valentin Mihov was chosen as president of CSKA. The club bought some of the most talented Bulgarian players, including Yordan Letchkov, Ivaylo Andonov, and Stoycho Stoilov, among others. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense concluded their affiliation with the club. Despite the uncertainty and the numerous problems that followed, CSKA won the title again in 1992. They were later eliminated in the first round of the Champions League by Austria Vienna after losing 1:3 in Vienna and winning 3:2 in Sofia.
In the meantime, Valentin Mihov was appointed president of the Bulgarian Football Union and Petar Kalpakchiev was chosen to replace him at the helm of CSKA. Kalpakchiev, however, wrangled with the club's administration over their decisions to replace several coaches, one of which was Gjoko Hadžievski, considered to be leading the club in the right direction, and eventually he was fired. The owner of the Multigroup conglomerate, Iliya Pavlov, took over as president, but ultimately his sponsorship proved insufficient to overcome the club's ineffective management. Five coaches were changed in just one season, with Tsvetan Yonchev being coach for just one day. In Europe, CSKA nevertheless beat Juventus F.C. 3:2 in the first round of the 1994–95 UEFA Cup, but the result was annulled by UEFA because of the delayed player-indexing of forward Petar Mihtarski, and Juventus were awarded a 3:0 victory. In the second leg in Torino, severely disadvantaged, CSKA succumbed to a 5:1 defeat.
In the summer of 1995, CSKA made a strong selection and eventually the club included half of the youth national football team of Bulgaria. Plamen Markov was appointed coach, but after a disappointing first half of the season, he was replaced by Georgi Vasilev, who had previously won three Bulgarian titles (one with FC Etar Veliko Tarnovo and two with Levski Sofia). Vasilev managed to win a double with CSKA for the 1996–1997 season, entering the second qualifying round of the Champions League against Steaua Bucharest. After a dramatic 3:3 in Romania, CSKA fell 0:2 at home. Vasilev was unexpectedly released from the club at the beginning of the second half of the 1997–98 season after a 3:0 win over PFC Spartak Pleven. Coach Petar Zehtinski took his place. That year, the club saw the return of Hristo Stoichkov, Emil Kostadinov, and Trifon Ivanov, but the three of them challenged each other for the captain's band. Stoichkov played in only four matches and left CSKA right before the derby with Levski to play for a club in Saudi Arabia. After the end of the season, Trifon Ivanov also left the club. CSKA finished the season in third place.
In the summer of 1998, Dimitar Penev took the lead as coach for a second time. CSKA reached the second round of the UEFA Cup, and won the Bulgarian Cup, but disappointed in the domestic league, finishing in fifth place in 1999. That season, the young talents of Martin Petrov, Stilian Petrov, Dimitar Berbatov, and Vladimir Manchev started to play a bigger role in the team. There were problems with player-indexing due to some unpaid obligations to FC Neftochimik. In the domestic championship, CSKA had only 16 players registered for the 1999–00 season and some un-indexed players took part in official UEFA games. Consequently, at the shareholders meeting at the end of 1999, the club ownership was transferred to businessman Vasil Bozhkov, who became majority owner.
2000s[edit]
After the first two fixtures in the spring of 2000, Dimitar Penev was relieved as coach because of the consecutive losses and in his place was appointed Georgi Dimitrov[disambiguation needed] – Dzheki, who was later replaced by Spas Dzhevizov. After a 1:1 draw with Pirin at Bulgarian Army Stadium, Dzhevizov handed in his resignation and Alexander Stankov took his place. Even though at times CSKA had fallen as far as 9 points behind the leaders Levski, the club shortened the difference to only 2 points before the decisive match for the title at Georgi Asparuhov Stadium. CSKA dominated Levski for most of the match, as Dimitar Berbatov made several serious misses, but a last-minute goal from Georgi Ivanov secured the title for Levski. In the summer of 2000, Italian coach Enrico Catuzzi was employed as head coach, who did manage to revive the team. But even though The Army Men played attractive games under his leadership, Catuzzi handed over the coach position in the winter, citing family problems. Alexander Stankov was appointed as coach again, but was replaced by Catuzzi again after two losses from Litex for the cup and the championship. The Reds finished second, seven points behind Levski.
For the new 2001–02 season, coach was Asparuh Nikodimov. He was fired during the winter break as CSKA rested 2 points behind Levski and was replaced by another Italian, Luigi Simoni. Simoni failed to make CSKA champions as the club finished third and lost the Bulgarian Cup final to Levski. Simoni left at the end of the season. In the summer of 2002, Stoycho Mladenov was appointed as coach. With him, the team set a record with 13 consecutive wins in 13 matches in the Bulgarian Championship and CSKA became champions for the first time since 1997. However, Mladenov was fired the following season after losing to Galatasaray in the preliminary rounds of the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League and after giving a less than impressive performance in the first round of the UEFA Cup, where the club lost on penalty kicks to FC Torpedo Moscow. Immediately after, two of the new arrivals, Leo Lima and Rodrigo Sousa, bought for 3 million dollars the year before, left the club on the grounds that they had not received two monthly salaries. FIFA decided that they had the right to leave and that CSKA had to pay them and return the players to their former club of Vasco da Gama. Alexander Stankov was temporarily appointed as coach until the winter break, when Ferario Spasov officially took over the position. In the end of 2004, Spasov was replaced by Serbian coach Miodrag Ješić, despite the team's first place in the domestic championship. Despite problems with the selection, CSKA won their record thirtieth domestic title in 2005.
For the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, after eliminating KF Tirana in the second preliminary round, CSKA were paired against reigning European champions Liverpool F.C.. The club lost 1–3 in the first match in Sofia, but surprisingly won the second leg by 1–0 at Anfield Road.[12][13] For the UEFA Cup, the Reds eliminated Bayer Leverkusen (with Dimitar Berbatov in the team) with two 1:0 wins and entered the group stage, where they finished fifth with 3 points from 4 matches and were eliminated. At the winter break of the 2005–06 season, the team was first with 7 points ahead of Levski in the standings. During the spring, CSKA lost the 7-point advantage and finished second with 3 points behind Levski. Club president Vassil Bozhkov blamed Serbian coach Miodrag Ješić for the failure to capture the title and fired him, while some supporters blamed Bozhkov instead. Plamen Markov was appointed in Ješić's place. Bozhkov then announced that he would restrict the finances of the club and that during the upcoming season CSKA will not be aiming at the title. In December 2006, Bozhkov sold the club to Indian steel tycoon and owner of Kremikovtzi AD, Pramod Mittal, brother of ArcelorMittal's Lakshmi Mittal. Former Bulgarian politician Alexander Tomov became president of the club and assured the supporters that CSKA would, in fact, be aiming at both the championship and the cup. After two draws in the beginning of the spring half of 2006–07, CSKA found themselves 6 points behind Levski. As a result, coach Plamen Markov was replaced by Stoycho Mladenov, who returned to the club after three and a half years. CSKA finished second.
In the beginning of the 2007–08 season, CSKA bought players for more than 2 million euro. The team was unluckily eliminated from the UEFA cup in the first round by French side Toulouse FC after a 96th-minute goal from André-Pierre Gignac in the second leg for 1:1. CSKA was also eliminated from the Bulgarian Cup at the 1/16th finals by Lokomotiv Plovdiv. The match was engulfed in a scandal because of three CSKA players who at the time were on loan at Lokomotiv (Stoyko Sakaliev, Aleksandar Branekov, and Ivan Ivanov). The players had clauses in their contracts restricting them from playing matches against CSKA, but Lokomotiv's management used the players anyway. At the end of the season, The Army Men secured the title in advance, finishing 16 points ahead of second-placed rivals Levski without losing a game from 30 championship matches. On 5 May 2008, the club marked its 60th anniversary with big celebrations organized by the management. An alley of fame was built, comprising the names of the most successful current and former players of CSKA. On 24 May 2008, an exhibition game was played between the current squad and a mixed team of Bulgarian and foreign football stars. The mixed team was coached by former German international Lothar Matthäus, who was a special guest for the anniversary celebrations. The match ended 6:6.
The 2008 crisis[edit]
In June 2008, only days after CSKA won its 31st title, UEFA notified the Bulgarian Football Union that the club would not receive a license for participating in the UEFA Champions League because of unpaid obligations.[14][15] The BFU then speculated that this could also result in CSKA not being able to take part in the domestic championship, effectively turning it into an amateur club. Attempts to arrange a settlement with UEFA proved unsuccessful and CSKA lost its right to compete in the UEFA Champions League in favor of runners-up Levski Sofia.[16] The person widely blamed for the crisis was president Alexander Tomov, who resigned shortly after and was arrested and sued for embezzling millions of levs from CSKA and Kremikovtzi AD.[17]
The problems with the license exposed the club's weak financial situation and led to chaos and panic, prompting many of the key players to flee, including coach Stoycho Mladenov himself, who left saying he was not happy with the fire sale of so many important players. The future of CSKA looked grim, its status as a professional club hanging in the balance. In the midst of the crisis, Dimitar Penev was given the coach's job for the third time and burdened with the task of saving the club. With almost all senior players gone, Penev was left to rely on members of the CSKA youth squad. Ultimately, CSKA managed to fulfill all licensing requirements set by the BFU and was allowed to compete in A Group.[18] Despite all the difficulties, and to the surprise of the whole football community, Penev's young squad claimed the Bulgarian SuperCup in August 2008, overcoming Litex by 1:0.[19]
2008–2009[edit]
At the begging of the 2008–09 season, the club managed to strengthen their ranks by signing Bulgarian internationals Zdravko Lazarov and Vladimir Manchev. On 24 December 2008, owner Pramod Mittal announced that he had signed a preliminary contract with a local investor to sell the club.[20] The deal was finalized on 6 March 2009, and the ownership of the club was transferred to Titan Sport EAD, a subsidiary of Bulgarian waste management company Titan AS.[21] Meanwhile, coach Dimitar Penev was replaced by his nephew, Lyuboslav Penev, who set aggressive goals for the club.[22] After having led the league for most of the season, CSKA finished the championship in second place, one point behind arch rivals Levski.
Pfk cska sofia.JPG

2009–2010[edit]
In 2009, CSKA earned a place in the UEFA Europa League's group stage after defeating FC Dynamo Moscow in the qualifying round and drew A.S. Roma, FC Basel, and Fulham F.C. in the group stage.[23] The first match was against Fulham in Sofia, where CSKA took the lead thanks to a beautiful goal by newly signed from Chernomoretz Brazilian Michel Platini. However, a simple goalkeeper mistake at the end of the match allowed Fulham to score, ending the game in a 1–1 draw. Despite the strong start, CSKA did not manage to earn any more points in the group and exited the competition at fourth place.[24] In November 2009, coach Luboslav Penev threatened to resign following a squabble with the club's management after they had reversed his decision to reprimand several players for disciplinary reasons, but decided to carry on with the job. Their disagreements eventually boiled over in January 2010 and the board relieved Penev of the position.[25] Reports in the press pointed to former CSKA coach Miodrag Ješić as a possible replacement, but even though Ješić expressed a desire to come back to CSKA, his current contract with Libyan club Alittihad Tripoli S.C. ruled him out.[26] On 17 January, the club retained Romanian specialist Ioan Andone as coach.[27] Andone brought two Romanian players with him and set out to overhaul the team.[28] But over the next six matches, CSKA won only two games, drew archrival Levski 0:0, and lost the second place to Lokomotiv Sofia. On 30 March, after two months on the job, Andone resigned citing family reasons.[29] Former CSKA defender Adalbert Zafirov was put in his place.[30] At the same time, the club turned to Dimitar Penev again, naming him supervisor of the coaching staff.[31] Despite the tumultuous second half of the season, CSKA managed to finish at second place in the table, behind champions Litex, and prepared to enter the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.[32]
2010–2011[edit]


CSKA with the Bulgarian Cup in 2011
Preparing for their upcoming European campaign, in the summer of 2010 the club hired Bulgarian specialist Pavel Dochev as coach, who embarked on a recruiting spree in order to strengthen the ranks. The most notable additions to the squad were Algerian national goalkeeper Raïs M'Bolhi from Slavia Sofia and Irish international striker Cillian Sheridan from Celtic FC.[33][34] Other newcomers included former Ghana international William Tiero, Dutchman Gregory Nelson, and four Italians: Giuseppe Aquaro, Christian Tiboni, Marco Esposito, and Fabrizio Grillo. After a string of unsatisfactory results, including a 0–1 loss to archrival Levski Sofia and a 1–2 loss to Chernomorets Burgas, Dochev was fired. His place was taken by the relatively unknown Macedonian manager Gjore Jovanovski, who kept his job for just 3 months before being replaced by his assistant Milen Radukanov. Radukanov brought a sudden change to the club, bringing CSKA back to the winning road and eventually claiming the Bulgarian Cup at the end of the season.
2011–2012[edit]
At the onset of the season, Radukanov announced his ambitions of a title by bringing top forwards Ianis Zicu and Junior Moraes to the club. Zicu, who was the top goalscorer of the Romanian Liga I in the previous season, joined the club for 500 000 € from FC Timişoara, while Moraes was signed on a free transfer. He then signed the club's former goalkeeper Rais M'Bolhi from Krylia Sovetov on loan. The first real test for CSKA was their Bulgarian SuperCup clash against league champions Litex Lovech, won by a 3–1 margin. The club continued with 8 straight victories in the league, but after a 1–2 defeat against Slavia Sofia and a 0–0 draw against Cherno more, Radukanov was unexpectedly fired by chairman Dimitar Borisov. Club legend Dimitar Penev was appointed as a temporary manager with Adalbert Zafirov as his assistant. In the spring, Stoycho Mladenov was hired as a manager again. Mladenov wasted no time in striving to motivate the players and win the title, yet the club lost it by a single point to Ludogorets Razgrad in a lost direct match in the final day of the season.
2012–2013[edit]
CSKA Sofia started the season in the state of shock after being surprisingly eliminated from the international football scene by the Slovenian football dwarf Mura 05. The game in Slovenia ended by a 0:0 draw, but 1:1 in Sofia made the "reds" leave the UEFA Europa League in the second qualifying round. The start of the Bulgarian championship was bad as well - 0:1 defeat from Litex. Of course, the fact that CSKA Sofia had no right to use the new players during the first league matches due to administrative reasons mustn't be ignored. However, in the middle of the autumn half of the season CSKA achieved some significant wins, beating Levski Sofia by 1:0 in the Eternal derby of Bulgarian football and eliminating Ludogorets Razgrad in the 1/32 finals of the Bulgarian Cup. In late December the head coach Stoycho Mladenov was fired and Miodrag Jesic was appointed instead. During the winter transfer window CSKA got some significant signings like Bulgarian internationals Martin Kamburov and Spas Delev, and South-American stars Marcinho and Ignacio Varela. After managing the team for only 2 games, Jesic was sacked and replaced by fan favourite Milen Radukanov. Unfortunately, the team performance under his instructions was inconvenient and at the end of the season CSKA managed to get only the bronze medals. In June the FIFA Ballon d'Or winner and Bulgarian football legend Hristo Stoichkov was released by PFC Litex Lovech to replace Radukanov on CSKA's bench, but the poor financial condition of the club made him leave shortly after his arrival without even having a contract signed. Most of the players left CSKA as well and even speculations about the club's bankruptcy appeared.
2013 Ownership change[edit]
After serious financial problems which led to CSKA's refusal from participation in 2013-14 UEFA Europa League and multiple fan protests, the club was declared for sale by the owners Titan AS and on the 10th of July 2013 was officially purchased by the Red Champions Group, union of businessmen and former club legends. One of the members of Red Champions is Aleksandar Tomov, former club president. Stoycho Mladenov became the first CSKA manager appointed by the new owners.

HERO DYD