Botev (Plovdiv) is now officially part of the Club of Pioneers – an international organization that unites the oldest football clubs from around the world. The news was first announced to all nearly 19,000 people in the stands at Hristo Botev Stadium before the start of yesterday’s semi-final against CSKA for the Bulgarian Cup.
In the minutes before the match, a special congratulatory video from England’s Sheffield FC – the oldest still active football club in the world – was played on the College’s new scoreboard. Directly from England, the chairman of the club, Richard Tims, sent his congratulations, and the spectators were also able to hear the words of Botev’s youngster Dimitar Papazov, the team’s captain Lachezar Baltanov, and our team’s midfielder Yanis Karabelov.
The ceremony continued with the official presentation of the plaque with which Botev was admitted to the Club of Pioneers. The valuable object was given by the executive director of the “canaries” Alexey Kirichek to Vidin Sukarev – a representative of the “Yellow and Black” foundation, which is the guardian of the history of the oldest Bulgarian football club.
Three of the legends of Botev (Plovdiv) – Trifon Pachev, Marin Bakalov and Zapryan Rakov – were also part of the plaque presentation ceremony. Each of them was also in the company of one of the children from the “canary” school, to further reinforce the idea of continuity between generations.
The inclusion of Botev in the Club of Pioneers is another proof of the amazing history of the “yellow and black” club. We are proud of the past and look boldly to the future.
