Cliff Notes
- Arda Kardzhali mistakenly held a minute’s silence for former player Petko Ganchev, believing he had died.
- The club later issued an apology on social media after confirming Ganchev was alive, retracting the erroneous information.
- The match against Levski Sofia ended in a 1-1 draw, placing Arda fifth in the league with hopes of qualifying for European football.
Bulgarian football club Arda Kardzhali apologise after holding minute’s silence for former player who is still alive | World News
A Bulgarian football club have apologised for holding a minute’s silence for a former player who is still alive.
Arda Kardzhali, which is located in the southern Bulgarian town of Kardzhali, and play in the country’s top division, held the minute’s silence in honour of Petko Ganchev before Sunday’s game against Levski Sofia.
Both teams lined up near the centre circle before kicking off in the 1-1 draw, bowing their heads to mourn Ganchev.
But, before the match was over, Arda posted on their Facebook page saying they had received wrong information about Ganchev’s death.
The club said: “The management of PFC Arda would like to express a huge apology to the former Arda player Petko Ganchev and his relatives after the club received wrong information about his death.
“We wish Petko Ganchev many more years of good health and to enjoy the success of Arda.”
The post appeared to have been deleted by Monday evening.
The draw means Arda are fifth in the 16-team table and can still secure a place in European football next season.
Levski stay second, but are 12 points behind leaders Ludogorets.