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| Botev Plovdiv | |
|---|---|
| Clubname | Botev Plovdiv |
| Fullname | PFK Botev Plovdiv |
| Founded | 1912 |
| Ground | Hristo Botev Stadium |
| Capacity | 18,000 |
| Chairman | Dimitar Hristozov |
| Manager | Dušan Kerkez |
| League | First Professional Football League |
Botev Plovdiv is one of the oldest and most storied football clubs in Bulgaria, founded in 1912 and named after the poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev. The club has a long tradition in domestic competitions such as the Bulgarian A Football Group and national cup tournaments like the Bulgarian Cup, and has participated in European tournaments including the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League. Home matches are held at the Hristo Botev Stadium in Plovdiv, and the club maintains intense local rivalries, most notably with PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv and matches often draw supporters across the region of Thrace.
Early years saw founders influenced by figures like Hristo Botev and local activists; the club was established amid broader social movements tied to the Balkan Wars era and the pre-World War I period. In the interwar decades Botev competed against clubs such as PFC Levski Sofia, PFC CSKA Sofia, and Slavia Sofia, contributing players to national tournaments like the Balkan Cup. During the socialist period Botev navigated reorganizations that reshaped Bulgarian football alongside institutions like Bulgarian Football Union, and faced rivals including PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv and PFC Cherno More Varna. The club secured its first major trophy complications in the late 1960s and 1970s, matching squads that confronted teams such as PFC Levski Sofia in domestic cup finals and league campaigns. Post-1989 transitions in Bulgaria affected ownership and competition, bringing businessmen and figures from Plovdiv into club administration and prompting modernizations seen in clubs like PFC Litex Lovech and PFC Levski Sofia. In the 21st century Botev achieved landmark successes in the Bulgarian Cup and gained entry to UEFA tournaments, facing international opponents like AC Milan, AS Roma, and AC Sparta Prague during qualification rounds and group stages.
Hristo Botev Stadium sits in central Plovdiv and serves as the club's traditional ground, with renovations paralleling projects at venues such as Vasil Levski National Stadium and Georgi Asparuhov Stadium. The venue has hosted cup finals and derbies, drawing travelling supporters from Sofia, Varna, and Burgas. Upgrades to seating, lighting, and pitch facilities were planned in line with UEFA infrastructure standards similar to works at Stadion Plovdiv, and the stadium has staged matches against European sides including Olympiacos F.C. and FC Steaua București.
Supporters form organized groups often compared with fan groups at PFC Levski Sofia, PFC CSKA Sofia, and PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv. The derby with PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv—known regionally as the Plovdiv derby—rivals derbies between clubs like PFC Levski Sofia vs PFC CSKA Sofia in intensity and local significance. Supporter culture includes displays, tifos, and marches that have occasionally involved coordination with police forces in Plovdiv Province and national authorities during high-profile matches against teams such as PFC Cherno More Varna and PFC Beroe Stara Zagora. Fan ties extend to organized friendships and antagonisms mirroring patterns seen between supporters of Olympiacos F.C. and Panathinaikos F.C. in the wider Balkan supporter landscape.
Botev's honours include triumphs in the Bulgarian A Football Group and multiple Bulgarian Cup victories, achievements comparable to honours held by PFC Levski Sofia, PFC CSKA Sofia, and PFC Litex Lovech. The club set attendance and scoring records during seasons that featured prolific players who later transferred to clubs like FC Porto, Dynamo Kyiv, and FC Schalke 04. Historic results against international opposition have included notable fixtures versus AFC Ajax, Feyenoord, and Manchester United in friendly and qualification contexts, while domestic records involve long unbeaten streaks and landmark victories in derbies against PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv.
The squad has featured prominent Bulgarian internationals and foreign talents who later moved to teams including Sporting CP, Eintracht Frankfurt, and FC Basel. Notable alumni have represented Bulgaria national football team at tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship, and include players who played for clubs like AC Milan and SS Lazio. The youth academy has produced prospects who progressed to academies akin to those at FC Barcelona and Ajax Amsterdam, and the roster routinely integrates transfers from leagues in Greece, Serbia, and Romania.
Club administration has included chairmen and directors with profiles similar to executives at PFC CSKA Sofia and PFC Levski Sofia, and coaching staffs have featured managers with experience in First Professional Football League and abroad in leagues such as the Serbian SuperLiga and Cypriot First Division. Sporting directors and technical teams coordinate scouting in regions like the Balkans and Central Europe, liaising with agents who operate with clubs including PFC Litex Lovech and PFC Cherno More Varna to recruit talent.
Botev has participated in UEFA competitions including the UEFA Europa League, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, and qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League, drawing opponents such as AC Milan, AS Roma, and FC Spartak Moscow. Campaigns have featured two-legged ties against clubs like AFC Ajax, Feyenoord, FC Basel, and Aston Villa, with memorable aggregate results shaping the club's continental reputation. European appearances have bolstered squad exposure and led to transfers to clubs across Western Europe and the Russian Premier League.
Category:Bulgarian football clubs Category:Sport in Plovdiv