(Sofia) Nearly 60 police officers and football fans were injured Thursday evening in Sofia in violent clashes on the sidelines of the Bulgaria-Hungary qualifying meeting for Euro-2024, organized behind closed doors, Bulgarian authorities announced on Friday .
As for the protesters, “24 injured people were examined, including seven hospitalized for head trauma, fractures and irritations linked to pepper gas,” Katia Sungarska, spokesperson for the emergency department of the city, told AFP. the capital.
The police, for their part, reported 33 injured among their ranks, including “some seriously injured,” according to deputy head Stefan Ivanov.
Furthermore, 33 supporters including “ultras” were arrested, while the hunt for troublemakers continues, he said during a press conference, criticizing “unprecedented” incidents.
Placed under high security, the match ended in a draw (2-2), allowing the Magyars to qualify for Euro-2024.
With only three points gleaned from seven matches, Bulgaria are last in Group G.
Supporters from all over Bulgaria came to demand the resignation of Federation President Borislav Mihaylov, who has been in charge for 18 years.
Smoke bombs, beer bottles and even stones or traffic poles: participants in the rally threw all kinds of projectiles and set fire to a law enforcement vehicle.
The police, massively mobilized with more than 1,500 officers, used water cannons to disperse the crowd of some 4,000 people.
The authorities had warned ahead of the match “of a high risk of disturbances to public order inside and outside the stadium”. Hence the decision to hold the match without an audience.
Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov questioned Friday about this choice which fueled the anger of supporters, adding that he would consult the governing body at European level, UEFA.
“We witnessed scenes of terrible violence,” he told reporters. “By leading Bulgarian football into decline, without any perspective for the future, the Federation is mainly responsible,” he said.
Several elected officials have called for the head of Mihaylov, who has not yet spoken.
The head of government also dismissed Deputy Interior Minister Stoyan Temelakiev due to the security organization deemed to be failing and called for shedding light on accusations of police violence.
The discontent of supporters continues to mount in Bulgaria over the poor results of the national team, which has witnessed a waltz of selectors over the last two decades. The last international tournament played by Bulgaria dates back to Euro-2004 in Portugal.
The controversial president of the Bulgarian Football Federation (BFU), 60, resigned in 2019 before reversing his decision.
This former goalkeeper was finally re-elected in 2021, despite a record marred by suspicions of match-fixing and marked by a scandal of racist insults during a match against England in 2019.