Borislav Mihaylov is with a very authoritarian behavior towards the management and without any listening capacity; has pushed for a project to buy an expensive team bus for the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) and has been in contact with some overseas companies unknown to UEFA wanting to “get it cheap” from the organization claiming he could only build 30 minipitches for KCHF 9. This is written in a confidential report of UEFA representative Andreas Kuhn, who visited Bulgaria in April 2005 and met with Mihaylov, then First Vice-President of the BFU.

The information is found in UEFA’s internal correspondence and documentation leaked to the international journalism consortium the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). They pertain mainly to the HatTrick scheme to finance projects of national football federations from UEFA budget. The files contain data on almost all UEFA member states and are being examiner by a team of journalists from the consortium.

When Kuhn visited Bulgaria, Ivan Slavkov, the son-in-law of former Communist dictator Todor Zhivko, was still President of the BFU, “surrounded by turmoil … linked to corruption accusations against him”. Thus he had mandated Mihaylov to overview all activities related to UEFA’s funding. The scandals had not prevented Slavkov from leading a lavish lifestyle, still enjoying “royal receptions and departures”, which had been witnessed by UEFA delegates.

One of the projects funded by UEFA under the HatTrick programs was the construction of 40 minipitches around Bulgaria for CHF 1 million. Mihaylov proposed the construction of 30 minipitches for CFH 900,000 francs by unknown offshores (overseas companies) with which he had been in contact.

The UEFA representative explained to him that this would not happen because neighboring Romania and Turkey had managed to build 40 minipitches for CHF 1 million. Mihaylov had been also warned that UEFA would have a very close eye on the tender process and the invoices for this project.

Subsequently, the project for 40 minipitches had been implemented according to UEFA’s scheme, not Mihaylov’s and had received a good assessment from the management of the European football organization.

Another scandalous project linked to Mihaylov is the purchase of a new bus for the BFU under the same HatTrick program. According to Kuhn, the First Vice-President of the BFU had dealt with this project as a “Chef-Sache”. The documents show that the proposal of the BFU to UEFA was to contribute CHF 0.5 million to the purchase of a Mercedes Travego 15 RHD. It had been rejected by the HatTrick program on the grounds that the vehicle was too expensive.

The correspondence shows that after the unsuccessful attempt to buy an expensive bus, the main subject of negotiations for UEFA funding became the National Training Center and House of Football. It was finally inaugurated 11 years later after UEFA poured millions into it. The saga with its design, construction and significant cost over time is documented in dozens of files, whose analysis will be presented in a subsequent publication. This important project for Bulgarian football has been delayed for so long that in 2013 UEFA President Michel Platini warned Mihaylov in a letter that the project risks being declared as void.

Ако считате, че този безплатен ресурс е полезен, включете се с малка сума за неговата поддръжка. При възможност, станете наш редовен спомоществовател с опцията Месечно дарение. Това ни помага да предвиждаме бъдещи разходи и да планираме дейността си за месеци напред.

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