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POFC Botev Vratsa

Football club

Botev (Bulgarian: Ботев) is a Bulgarian professional football club based in Vratsa, that competes in the First League, the top division of Bulgarian football.

PMFC Botev Vratsa[1]
File:Botev Vratsa crest.png
Full nameПрофесионален Общински Футболен Клуб Ботев Враца
Professional Municipal Football Club
Botev Vratsa
Nickname(s)Зелените Лъвове
(The Green Lions)
Founded1921; 104 years ago (1921)
GroundStadion Hristo Botev
Capacity25,000 (8,935 seated)
OwnerVratsa Municipality
ChairmanHristo Iliev
Head coachHristo Yanev
LeagueFirst League
2023–24First League, 14th of 16
WebsiteClub website

The club was founded in 1921. Since 1948, Botev have played their home games at Stadion Hristo Botev. It is situated in the Hristo Botev sport complex, in the east part of Vratsa. The stadium originally had 25,000 seats. After a recent reconstruction, which took place in 2008, 2009, 2015 and in 2022, the stadium has 9 reconstructed seated sectors with a total of 8 935 seats.

Botev's longest continuous period in the top tier was 26 consecutive seasons between 1964 and 1990. The club's highest ever league finish came in 1970–71 when it finished third in the top flight.

History

Botev Vratsa Football Club was founded in 1921 by Nikola Kunov, Ivan Abuzov, Nako Paunov, Gergo Boytchev, Todor Orozov, Hristo Lighenski and Angel Rachinski. The place of foundation is a playground near the Old market in Vratsa. Between 1921 and 1956 various sport clubs were founded in the city. In 1957 most of the sport clubs in the city are joined to form FC Botev Vratsa. Between 1957 and 1964 Botev Vratsa is a member of Bulgarian second division. In 1964 the club entered the Bulgarian top division and played there for 26 seasons.[2] The team of Vratsa has 788 games in the top flight of Bulgarian football.

Botev's most glorious moment came in 1971, when the team finished third in Bulgarian top division, after CSKA Sofia and Levski Sofia. Botev did, however, represent Bulgaria in the 1971–72 UEFA Cup where they lost in the first round to Dinamo Zagreb, then representing Yugoslavia, 2–8 on aggregate. The first game in Vratsa, in the presence of 35,000 spectators, ended with a 2–1 loss. The second game in Zagreb finished 6–1.

The biggest success in the Bulgarian Cup is a semi-final in 1960–61, 1974–75 and 1984–85. After the 1989–90 A Group season, Botev was relegated to B Group. In the next 19 years, the club participated in either the second or the third Bulgarian division.

Botev managed to return to the top flight in 2011, after they won the eastern group of the 2010–11 B Group, thus ending a 21-year absence from the top level of Bulgarian football. The 2011-12 A Group season was successful because Botev avoided relegation, finishing 12th, which was the main goal of the club. The next season was less successful, with Botev finishing 13th, which meant that they were relegated after a two-year spell in the top flight. In the next couple of years, Botev Vratsa bounced between the second and third tiers, until 2018, when the team managed to return to the top flight, by winning the 2017-18 Second League. This ended a 5-year absence from the top flight.

Among the club's legendary players is Martin Petrov, considered by most Botev fans as the greatest player to have ever been involved with the club, and one of the greatest Bulgarian players. The list of other famous players to have come from the clubs' youth system consists of Iliya Valov, Valentin Iliev, and Valentin Stanchev. Nikolay Penkov is the player with most league appearances for the club – 334. The player with most league goals for the club is Georgi Kamenov, with 150 goals for Botev.

Colours, signs and symbols

Botev is known as one of the "green" teams in Bulgaria, but red is just as characteristic in the club's history. Until 1971, the home colours were red and black vertical stripes. To commemorate the 50th anniversary, officials decided to re-brand the entire image of Botev by selecting green as main colour from 1972 on. At the same time, the club logo was also changed, selecting a lion as its centerpiece to commemorate the revolutionary flags of the Hristo Botev revolutionaries. Until that point, the portrait of Hristo Botev himself was used as club logo. The most recent re-branding of the club was in 2009, when the fans initiated a return of the lion to the club logo, almost 15 years after it had been removed. The new logo, which incorporated the original graphic from 1971 was crafted by lifelong fan Aleksandar Alekov.[3]

Honours

Domestic

League positions

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PlotData= 

 bar:Position width:16 color:white align:center
 from:01/07/1952 till:01/07/1953  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/1953 till:01/07/1954  shift:(0,-4) text:6
 from:01/07/1954 till:01/07/1955  shift:(0,-4) text:4
 from:01/07/1955 till:01/07/1956  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/1956 till:01/07/1957  shift:(0,-4) text:8
 from:01/07/1957 till:01/07/1958  shift:(0,-4) text:9
 from:01/07/1958 till:01/07/1959  shift:(0,-4) text:8
 from:01/07/1959 till:01/07/1960  shift:(0,-4) text:13
 from:01/07/1960 till:01/07/1961  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/1961 till:01/07/1962  shift:(0,-4) text:5
 from:01/07/1962 till:01/07/1963  shift:(0,-4) text:6
 from:01/07/1963 till:01/07/1964  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/1952 till:01/07/1964  color:white  shift:(0,14)  text: "B Group"
 from:01/07/1964 till:01/07/1965  shift:(0,-4) text:9
 from:01/07/1965 till:01/07/1966  shift:(0,-4) text:13
 from:01/07/1966 till:01/07/1967  shift:(0,-4) text:7
 from:01/07/1967 till:01/07/1968  shift:(0,-4) text:8
 from:01/07/1968 till:01/07/1969  shift:(0,-4) text:8
 from:01/07/1969 till:01/07/1970  shift:(0,-4) text:13
 from:01/07/1970 till:01/07/1971  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/1971 till:01/07/1972  shift:(0,-4) text:7
 from:01/07/1972 till:01/07/1973  shift:(0,-4) text:8
 from:01/07/1973 till:01/07/1974  shift:(0,-4) text:7
 from:01/07/1974 till:01/07/1975  shift:(0,-4) text:11
 from:01/07/1975 till:01/07/1976  shift:(0,-4) text:13
 from:01/07/1976 till:01/07/1977  shift:(0,-4) text:5
 from:01/07/1977 till:01/07/1978  shift:(0,-4) text:13
 from:01/07/1978 till:01/07/1979  shift:(0,-4) text:12
 from:01/07/1979 till:01/07/1980  shift:(0,-4) text:10
 from:01/07/1980 till:01/07/1981  shift:(0,-4) text:12
 from:01/07/1981 till:01/07/1982  shift:(0,-4) text:14
 from:01/07/1982 till:01/07/1983  shift:(0,-4) text:11
 from:01/07/1983 till:01/07/1984  shift:(0,-4) text:10
 from:01/07/1984 till:01/07/1985  shift:(0,-4) text:4
 from:01/07/1985 till:01/07/1986  shift:(0,-4) text:12
 from:01/07/1986 till:01/07/1987  shift:(0,-4) text:8
 from:01/07/1987 till:01/07/1988  shift:(0,-4) text:14
 from:01/07/1988 till:01/07/1989  shift:(0,-4) text:13 
 from:01/07/1989 till:01/07/1990  shift:(0,-4) text:16
 from:01/07/1964 till:01/07/1990  color:green  shift:(0,14)  text: "A Group" 
 from:01/07/1990 till:01/07/1991  shift:(0,-4) text:13
 from:01/07/1991 till:01/07/1992  shift:(0,-4) text:9
 from:01/07/1992 till:01/07/1993  shift:(0,-4) text:18
 from:01/07/1993 till:01/07/1994  shift:(0,-4) text:13
 from:01/07/1990 till:01/07/1994  color:white  shift:(0,14)  text: "B Group"
 from:01/07/1994 till:01/07/1995  shift:(0,-4) text:5
 from:01/07/1995 till:01/07/1996  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/1996 till:01/07/1997  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/1997 till:01/07/1998  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/1994 till:01/07/1998 color:red shift:(0,14)  text: "V Group"
 from:01/07/1998 till:01/07/1999  shift:(0,-4) text:8
 from:01/07/1999 till:01/07/2000  shift:(0,-4) text:5
 from:01/07/2000 till:01/07/2001  shift:(0,-4) text:9
 from:01/07/2001 till:01/07/2002  shift:(0,-4) text:8  
 from:01/07/2002 till:01/07/2003  shift:(0,-4) text:16
 from:01/07/1998 till:01/07/2003  color:white  shift:(0,14)  text: "B Group"
 from:01/07/2003 till:01/07/2004  shift:(0,-4) text:12
 from:01/07/2004 till:01/07/2005  shift:(0,-4) text:16
 from:01/07/2005 till:01/07/2006  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/2006 till:01/07/2007  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/2007 till:01/07/2008  shift:(0,-4) text:4
 from:01/07/2008 till:01/07/2009  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/2003 till:01/07/2009 color:red shift:(0,14)  text: "V Group"
 from:01/07/2009 till:01/07/2010  shift:(0,-4) text:6
 from:01/07/2010 till:01/07/2011  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/2009 till:01/07/2011  color:white  shift:(0,14)  text: "B Group"
 from:01/07/2011 till:01/07/2012  shift:(0,-4) text:12
 from:01/07/2012 till:01/07/2013  shift:(0,-4) text:13
 from:01/07/2011 till:01/07/2013  color:green  shift:(0,14)  text: "A Group" 
 from:01/07/2013 till:01/07/2014  shift:(0,-4) text:6
 from:01/07/2014 till:01/07/2015  shift:(0,-4) text:13
 from:01/07/2013 till:01/07/2015  color:white  shift:(0,14)  text: "B Group"
 from:01/07/2015 till:01/07/2016  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/2015 till:01/07/2016 color:red shift:(0,14)  text: "V"
 from:01/07/2016 till:01/07/2017  shift:(0,-4) text:10
 from:01/07/2017 till:01/07/2018  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/2016 till:01/07/2018  color:white  shift:(0,14)  text: "2nd"
 from:01/07/2018 till:01/07/2019  shift:(0,-4) text:9
 from:01/07/2019 till:01/07/2020  shift:(0,-4) text:11
 from:01/07/2020 till:01/07/2021  shift:(0,-4) text:12
 from:01/07/2021 till:01/07/2022  shift:(0,-4) text:13
 from:01/07/2022 till:01/07/2023  shift:(0,-4) text:12
 from:01/07/2023 till:01/07/2024  shift:(0,-4) text: 14
 from:01/07/2023 till:01/07/2024  shift:(0,-4) text:
 from:01/07/2018 till:01/07/2025  color:green  shift:(0,14)  text: "1st League"

</timeline>

European record

Matches

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
1971–72 UEFA Cup 1R   Dinamo Zagreb 1−2 1−6 2−8
1983 Intertoto Cup Group 8   Hammarby 1–2 1–2 3rd
  Arminia Bielefeld 0–1 0–4
  Bryne 1–0 3–0


Competition S P W D L GF GA GD
UEFA Europa League / UEFA Cup 1 2 0 0 2 2 8 - 6
UEFA Intertoto Cup 1 6 2 0 4 6 9 - 3
Total 2 8 2 0 6 8 17 - 9

Players

Current squad

As of 30 September 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   BUL Lyubomir Vasilev
6 DF   ESP David Suárez
7 FW   BUL Ivan Vasilev
8 FW   UKR Danylo Kondrakov
9 MF   BUL Daniel Genov
10 MF   BUL Spas Georgiev
11 DF   BUL Martin Achkov
14 FW   CAF Marco Majouga
15 FW   BUL Miroslav Marinov
16 GK   BEN Saturnin Allagbé
17 MF   BUL Chavdar Ivaylov
19 FW   COL Brayan Perea (captain)
20 DF   CGO Messie Biatoumoussoka
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 MF   SEN Boubacar Traorè
22 MF   BUL Antoan Stoyanov (on loan from Levski Sofia)
24 MF   BUL Martin Smolenski
25 DF   BUL Deyan Lozev
29 DF   BUL Martin Bachev
32 DF   BUL Martin Dichev
33 DF   BUL Stefan Tsonkov
34 GK   COL Federico Barrios
70 DF   BUL Dilyan Georgiev
77 MF   BUL Stefan Velev
88 MF   BUL Ivan Neshkov
97 MF   BUL Vladislav Naydenov

For recent transfers, see Transfers winter 2023–24 and Transfers summer 2024.

Foreign players

Up to twenty foreign nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the Bulgarian First League, however only five non-EU nationals can be used during a match day. Those non-EU nationals with European ancestry can claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from. If a player does not have European ancestry he can claim Bulgarian citizenship after playing in Bulgaria for 5 years.

Notable players

See also: Category:POFC Botev Vratsa players

Had international caps for their respective countries, held any club record, or had more than 100 league appearances. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries.

Managers

Kit

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor (chest / back)
2019–2022   Erreà WINBET
2022–2023   Zeus WINBET / SportRespect
2023–2024   Nike
2024–   Erima WINBET

References

  1. ^ "PMFC Botev, Vratsa, football club".
  2. ^ "B" Group archive Archived 2008-03-07 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Botev Vratsa history". botevvratsa.com. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Italian head coach signs Botev Vratsa (in Bulgarian)". Livesport.bg. Archived from the original on 7 August 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  5. ^ "Botev Vratsa appoint the new manager". Gong.bg. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  6. ^ "Ясен Петров обеща да върне Ботев (Вр) в елита". topsport.bg. 20 June 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  7. ^ Georgieva, Maria (5 December 2013). "Бойко Величков пое Ботев Враца". 7sport.net. Archived from the original on 28 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.

External links

 
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