Minister Kralev: Bulgarian football will hardly exist without Levski and CSKA

Youth and Sports Minister Krasen Kralev gave an interview for “24 hours” in which he spoke about the future of sport in Bulgaria.

Mr Minister, when will football and sports return?

“That is quite difficult to predict. The situation is changing every day. You can see that there is no final solution anywhere. There will be no professional sport in France until September. In Germany and England they are preparing to renew the championships. The Italians have not yet decided. We must be aware that the crisis we are experiencing will have a lasting impact on our daily life. We will leave completely changed. There will be economic and social consequences. In this sense, sport cannot be different. We will have to rethink everything to adapt it to the new world. In soccer, for example, it is sure to be played in empty stands for months. And it will be a very strange experience, because this sport feeds and lives the emotions of people in stadiums.

Sport has lost a lot in this crisis. If the football championships are not played, the losses will exceed 7 billion euros. Of these, 4 are in the call. Five great championships. A cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics will cost the Japanese economy $ 70 billion. The delay will only cost around 6 billion. These are quantities that cannot be so easily ignored.

In this context, how are things in Bulgaria?

– First of all, I would like to emphasize that, due to the timely measures taken by the national headquarters, we are currently doing very well and we can expect some weakness within reason. If you acted uncontrollably, a second wave may occur. The fact that across Europe, Bulgaria and Albania have the lowest death rates from the disease speaks for itself. Federations are currently secured with funds. Saved budgets. The money saved from failed international competitions will go to camping and training. Funds are currently being paid for salaries and rentals of sports facilities. So far, more than 40 legal entities in the sector have also benefited from measure 60/40. Half of them are clubs.

Are you planning any changes?

– In the Bulgarian sports club system they are systematically underfunded. By 2020, they receive 6.5 million. By 2021 we will increase funds to 13 million or double, while maintaining the distribution system. In other words, each club will take twice as much money. Those who are tenants based on state companies such as NSB, Akademika, Serdika Sports Properties and who are registered in the registry of the Ministry will be released from two incomes. The same will apply to the Spartacus pool and the Sports Hall pool. Several municipalities have also exempted clubs from renting sports facilities. These are real steps to preserve Bulgarian sport. Because everyone knows that clubs are the ones that need to develop it.

Prime Minister Borisov says he has a plan to restart the sport after the crisis. What does he imagine?

– The key point is the transition to the peak of the epidemic. Right now, in my opinion, we are on a plateau and if we follow discipline and things continue to develop in this way, I hope to start falling in ten days. The main stages of our program are four. The start depends on the decision of the headquarters to lift the prohibitions on the use of sports facilities.

The first stage involves the Olympics and professional soccer clubs. In the next second stage, which begins a week after the first stage, outdoor sports begin. In the third, those who practice indoors. And in the final stage, children and adolescents from all sports participate. We are ready to immediately accept our elite athletes at Belmeken, SportPalas, Rakovski and rowing bases at Kardzhali and Pchelina. Both its staff and athletes will be screened for coronaviruses. There will be a total ban on the entry of strangers. The accommodation will be individual. The staff shifts will be 2 weeks. A physician will be provided to monitor compliance. The food will be delivered in a special way.

Work is probably much more relaxed in this situation.

You cannot rest easy. The work did not stop for a second. We continue to work on sports infrastructure, which is one of the main tasks of the team at the Ministry. The stadium in Gabrovo is being repaired, there are boxes and bars in Ruse, Vasil Levski’s grounds are being repaired. We are preparing public procurement for the reconstruction of 10 more sports facilities to be completed this year. We are also working on a program to build gymnasiums in schools. The work has not decreased, quite the opposite. He is much more responsible now. It was pretty easy before. And now I expect a completely new reality. Something we can’t find. Quite different solutions to problems are required.

Do you have any connection with federations, with athletes?

– Constantly Every day Everyone wants to train. It doesn’t make a difference. But we must give an example in this situation. That’s why I’m glad we have such wonderful examples as Ivet Lalova, national gymnasts, Radoslav Yankov, and many others who use social media to inspire the courage of their fans and fans. Bulgarian athletes have shown once again that they are worldwide.

Should we lower our expectations for the Tokyo Olympics?

– I am generally optimistic. Because I know that the Bulgarian moves extremely well during a crisis. Just look at what happens with donations, cheers for doctors. This is the time to thank those who are on the front line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They showed their true value. And she is huge. Just imagine what happens every hour. How do you fight against something that nobody understands yet?

What is your biggest challenge?

– First, get used to the new normal. Let us realize that it cannot be as before. It will be difficult to find international competitions until a vaccine or a safe treatment method is discovered. For me personally as a former athlete, the hardest part will be for the athletes themselves. These “vacations” are not normal for them. They are currently in approximately 20 percent of their normal state. And it will be a great challenge to get back in shape. Internationally, the most difficult part is adjusting your calendar. Because different countries have a different approach to combat a pandemic. And they are in a different phase of virus spread. They will also have different requirements to access their territory. Therefore, I do not believe that there will be a recovery of the international sports calendar in the short term. And this problem will complicate the preparation of athletes, especially after the postponement of the Olympic Games. One must chase quotas and plan two peaks in his form. Those who have already won odds can only focus on the peak during games. But there will be a much longer period of non-competition for them.

What about soccer?

– You can play soccer when there can be contact again. Boxing, fighting too. These are not contactless sports where you can maintain a social distance. In football, testing comes first. Because they have to be common. With a positive result, both teams must be quarantined. This cannot lead to the normal operation of the championship. Otherwise, specific match arrangements must be developed. There must be fixed stadium areas for teams, referees, officials, journalists. Meet the travel requirements. Have enough free bench space with the required distance.

It is very important not to speed up the preparation, as this will cause many injuries. Therefore, everyone should be careful. I am aware that soccer and tennis are currently doing quite serious restart programs with active anti-epidemiological measures.

What do you think of the option to finish the Championship, as happened in Belgium, the Netherlands and France?

“That should be the last resort.” When there is no other way out. I think that is the position of FIFA and UEFA. The return of sports, especially soccer, will have a big effect on society, on people’s hopes that things will turn out well. But I will have to reiterate that everything depends on the development of the situation. Here in Germany they were already preparing, but now they had to postpone everything. In China, where the crisis erupted and then resolved, they are also in no rush to resume the games.

In this sense, why was the BFS inspection so long over the allegations of misuse of state funds?

“It was just a lot of work. The smallest program involved almost 600 clubs. And the task of the Inspection was to find a connection with each of them, so that there was no more claim that the inspection had been done superficially. And I thank the people who were able to do a lot of work that took time. That’s where the delay came from. Now I hope that the BFU will accept the results of the inspection and return the amount of BGN 144,000 to the Ministry.

How does the new Totto administration handle the job?

– Pretty good. It’s still getting started, but there are some ideas to come true soon. We have made changes for the sake of Bulgarian sport in a new economic situation on the market. I think there will be real results soon.

A few days ago, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov announced that Levski would be there and working on the issue.

– I hope it is Levski, but the Prime Minister’s words cannot be commented. The fact is that Bulgarian football will hardly exist without Levski and CSKA. These two teams have a huge following and it was evident that interest fell when the Reds were in the Third Division.