Bulgarian Football Boss Quits Amid Match-Fixing Probe

Borislav Mihaylov, the former president of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU), is under investigation for allegedly facilitating match-fixing and working with the illegal gambling market. The Bulgarian prosecutor’s office confirmed the probe after several media outlets exposed Mihaylov’s involvement in these crimes.

Mihaylov’s resignation came on November 27, following public protests in Sofia against his leadership of the BFU. 

This was not the first time that Mihaylov had been in hot water. In 2019, he was forced to step down for the first time (he had been the head of the BFU since 2005) after a scandal involving racist behavior by Bulgarian fans in a national team home match. He was also accused of match-fixing, but there was no direct evidence against him.

He later returned to his position, but in 2021, he was suspended by the court due to irregularities in the BFU presidential elections.

The final blow came in 2022, when a Bulgarian publication published a photo of Mihaylov with Dan Tan, the notorious leader of the Singaporean betting mafia. This photo suggested that Mihaylov was in cahoots with the match-fixing syndicate.

The prosecutor’s office has not revealed any specific details about the investigation, but it is clear that Mihaylov is in deep trouble.