Bulgaria-Hungary: Dozens injured and 33 arrested

Nearly 60 police officers and fans were injured on Thursday afternoon in violent clashes on the sidelines of the Euro 2024 qualifier between Bulgaria and Hungary in Sofia, which was held behind closed doors, the Bulgarian authorities announced on Friday (17/11).

“There were 24 injured, including seven treated for head trauma, fractures and irritations linked to pepper spray“, the representative of the city’s emergency department told AFP.

Police, for their part, reported 33 wounded among their ranks, including “some serious injuries,” according to deputy chief Stefan Ivanov.

In addition, 33 supporters, including “ultras”, have been arrested while the hunt for rioters continues, he said during a press conference, criticizing “unprecedented” incidents in the Balkan country.

The match ended in a draw (2-2), allowing the Magyars to qualify for Euro-2024.

On the contrary, Bulgaria is last in Group 7 with just three points after seven games.

Supporters from across Bulgaria came to demand the resignation of Federation president Borislav Mikhailov, who has been in charge for 18 years.

Firecrackers, smoke bombs, beer bottles and even stones were thrown by the participants as police, mobilized en masse with more than 1,500 people, used water cannons to disperse the crowd of about 4,000 people, according to official figures.

The authorities had warned before the match of a “high risk of disturbing public order on and off the pitch”. Hence the decision to hold the match without an audience.

Fan anger continues to grow in Bulgaria over the poor results of the national team, which has failed to qualify for any major tournament in the past two decades. The last international tournament Bulgaria played was Euro 2004 in Portugal.

Controversial Bulgarian Football Federation (BFU) president Borislav Mihailov resigned in 2019 before reversing his decision.