2020–21 First Professional Football League (Bulgaria)

The 2020–21 First Professional Football League, also known as Efbet League for sponsorship reasons,[2] is the 97th season of the top division of the Bulgarian football league system, the 72nd since a league format was adopted for the national competition of A Group as a top tier of the pyramid, and also the 5th season of the First Professional Football League, which decides the Bulgarian champion. Ludogorets Razgrad are the defending champions for the ninth consecutive time.

First Professional Football League
Season2020–21
Dates7 August 2020 – 9 May 2021
Matches played112
Goals scored281 (2.51 per match)
Top goalscorer Mathias Coureur (15 goals)[1]
Biggest home winBeroe 6–0 Botev Vratsa
(28 August 2020)
Lokomotiv Plovdiv 6–0 Botev Plovdiv
(28 November 2020)
Biggest away winEtar 0–4 Cherno More
(16 August 2020)
Montana 0–4 Levski Sofia
(29 August 2020)
Highest scoringMontana 3–4 Tsarsko Selo
(7 December 2020)
Longest winning run7 matches
Ludogorets Razgrad
Longest unbeaten run15 matches
Ludogorets Razgrad
Longest winless run13 matches
Etar
Longest losing run7 matches
Etar
2021–22 →
All statistics correct as of 18:58, 27 December 2020 (UTC).

The season was initially set to start on 24 July 2020,[3] but began on 7 August 2020 due to the COVID-19 situation in Bulgaria.[4][5]

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

Measures pertaining to fan attendance

All matches were at first envisioned to be held without spectators, at the minimum until 31 August,[6] but this was reversed in early August (allowing for matches to be held at 50% stadium capacity and up to 1000 people per stand),[7] reportedly under pressure from fan groups, with the government's inconsistency on the matter in turn criticized in certain circles.[8] On 27 October 2020, Minister of Health Kostadin Angelov issued a decree valid from 29 October until 12 November, stipulating that all matches are to be held behind closed doors.[9][10] Minister of Youth and Sports Krasen Kralev claimed that some of the fans of certain teams had not been observing the pandemic control protocols.[11] On 12 November 2020, the ban on the presence of spectators was extended at least until 30 November.[12] In late November 2020 Kralev stated that the return of fans will not be under consideration until March 2021.[13]

A sign at the Vasil Levski National Stadium urging fans to be mindful of the need for social distancing

Footballers testing positive for the virus and schedule changes

Two Ludogorets Razgrad players tested positive for coronavirus just prior to the beginning of the championship.[14] In September 2020, the whole Etar team was initially quarantined by the regional health authorities in Veliko Tarnovo after 5 footballers' and 2 staff members' PCR tests indicated that they were infected,[15] but the match against Lokomotiv eventually went ahead without the date being changed.[16] The fixture between Arda and Ludogorets Razgrad that was to be held on 4 October 2020 was postponed after more than 10 footballers' tests from the Kardzhali team (as well as a trainer) returned positive results.[17] In late October 2020, Slavia also saw multiple footballers testing positive for COVID-19.[18] In early November 2020, four Levski Sofia players were reported to have the infection.[19] Prior to the start of the November international window, 12 Ludogorets footballers from both the first and the second teams[20] as well as additional Levski Sofia players from the senior and junior rosters were diagnosed with the virus,[21] bringing the total number of infected at the latter club to 16.[22][23] This caused some of the players to miss out on national team call-ups and led to the postponement of Ludogorets' Bulgarian Cup match against Sportist Svoge and Levski Sofia's league game against Lokomotiv Plovdiv. Beroe also saw cases of coronavirus among its players.[24] After initially given the green light to be held on the planned date,[25] The Eternal Derby match originally scheduled for 21 November was eventually postponed as well,[26] taking place on 18 December.

Teams

Fourteen teams are competing in the league – the top eleven teams from the previous season, the team that finished in first place in the Second League, and the two winners of the promotion/relegation playoffs.[27]

CSKA 1948 were promoted as champions of the 2019–20 Second League and will make their debut in the top tier of Bulgarian football. The second team to be promoted was Montana, who earned promotion after winning their play-off match against Dunav Ruse.[28] The club returns after three seasons in the second tier, following their relegation in the 2016–17 season, while Dunav ended their four-year stay in the First League.

Stadiums and locations
Arda Beroe Botev Plovdiv Botev Vratsa
Arena Arda Stadion Beroe Futbolen kompleks Botev 1912 Stadion Hristo Botev
Capacity: 15,000 Capacity: 12,128 Capacity: 4,000 Capacity: 12,000
Cherno More
2020–21 First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) (Bulgaria)
Location of Sofia teams.
 CSKA
Stadion Ticha Stadion Balgarska Armia
Capacity: 8,250 Capacity: 22,995
CSKA 1948 Etar
Vasil Levski National Stadium Stadion Ivaylo
Capacity: 44,000 Capacity: 15,000
Levski Lokomotiv
Stadion Georgi Asparuhov Stadion Lokomotiv
Capacity: 25,000 Capacity: 13,220
Ludogorets Montana Slavia Tsarsko Selo
Huvepharma Arena Stadion Ogosta Stadion Slavia Sporten kompleks Tsarsko Selo
Capacity: 10,422 Capacity: 6,000 Capacity: 25,556 Capacity: 1,550

    Personnel and kits

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

    Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor Additional
    Arda Nikolay Kirov Plamen Krumov Nike[29] Efbet —
    Beroe Dimitar Dimitrov Aleksandar Tsvetkov Uhlsport[30] — Refan, Ajax Group
    Botev Plovdiv Azrudin Valentić Todor Nedelev Uhlsport[31] WinBet —
    Botev Vratsa Antoni Zdravkov Valeri Domovchiyski Errea[32] WinBet —
    CSKA 1948 Krasimir Balakov Andon Gushterov Adidas[33] Efbet Bachkovo
    CSKA Sofia Bruno Akrapović Petar Zanev Adidas A1 Bulgaria WinBet, Baristo
    Cherno More Ilian Iliev Daniel Dimov Uhlsport[34] Armeets —
    Etar Aleksandar Tomash Hristo Ivanov Joma[35] WinBet —
    Levski Sofia Slaviša Stojanovič Nikolay Mihaylov Joma[36] Strabag PalmsBet
    Lokomotiv Plovdiv Aleksandar Tunchev Dimitar Iliev Uhlsport[37] Efbet General Broker
    Ludogorets Valdas Dambrauskas Svetoslav Dyakov Nike[38] Efbet Vivacom
    Montana Atanas Atanasov Ivan Mihov Joma Efbet —
    Slavia Sofia Aleksandr Tarkhanov Georgi Petkov Joma bet365 Asset Insurance
    Tsarsko Selo Luboslav Penev Reyan Daskalov Nike WinBet —

    Note: Individual clubs may wear jerseys with advertising. However, only one sponsorship is permitted per jersey for official tournaments organised by UEFA in addition to that of the kit manufacturer (exceptions are made for non-profit organisations). Clubs in the domestic league can have more than one sponsorship per jersey which can feature on the front of the shirt, incorporated with the main sponsor or in place of it; or on the back, either below the squad number or on the collar area. Shorts also have space available for advertisement.

    Regular season

    League table
    Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
    1 Ludogorets 16 12 3 1 34 13 +21 39 Qualification for the Championship group
    2 Lokomotiv Plovdiv 16 10 3 3 30 14 +16 33
    3 CSKA Sofia 16 9 6 1 26 15 +11 33
    4 Arda 16 7 8 1 23 14 +9 29
    5 Beroe 16 8 4 4 29 14 +15 28
    6 CSKA 1948 16 6 6 4 24 17 +7 24
    7 Cherno More 16 6 3 7 21 21 0 21 Qualification for the Europa Conference League group
    8 Tsarsko Selo 16 4 5 7 13 18 −5 17
    9 Levski Sofia 16 4 3 9 17 18 −1 15
    10 Botev Vratsa 16 4 3 9 18 24 −6 15
    11 Montana 16 3 5 8 16 30 −14 14 Qualification for the Relegation group
    12 Botev Plovdiv 16 3 5 8 15 32 −17 14
    13 Slavia Sofia 16 3 3 10 10 26 −16 12
    14 Etar 16 2 5 9 11 31 −20 11
    Updated to match(es) played on 20 December 2020. Source: Soccerway, Bulgarian Football
    Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Head-to-head away goals scored (only if two teams); 6) Goal difference; 7) Goals scored; 8) Fairplay ranking; 9) Draw.[39]

    Results
    Home \ Away LUD LPD CSS ARD BSZ CSK CHM TSS LEV BVR MON BPD SLA ETA
    Ludogorets — 3–1 27 Feb 13 Mar 2–0 14 Apr 1–0 1–1 1–0 2–1 3 Apr 2–1 3–0 13 Feb
    Lokomotiv Plovdiv 20 Feb — 2–1 0–0 13 Mar 1–1 2–1 3 Apr 14 Apr 2–1 2–2 6–0 2–0 27 Feb
    CSKA Sofia 2–2 6 Mar — 3 Apr 1–1 2–0 20 Feb 1–0 1–0 2–1 14 Apr 2–1 1–0 13 Mar
    Arda 2–2 20 Mar 1–1 — 10 Apr 1–1 6 Mar 2–0 1–1 20 Feb 3–0 3–2 2–1 14 Apr
    Beroe 6 Mar 1–3 20 Mar 0–1 — 0–0 4–0 14 Apr 2–1 6–0 0–0 3–0 20 Feb 3 Apr
    CSKA 1948 0–3 17 Apr 2–2 0–2 1–0 — 10 Apr 13 Feb 27 Feb 20 Mar 2–0 5–0 5–1 5–1
    Cherno More 1–4 13 Feb 1–1 2–0 27 Feb 1–2 — 13 Mar 3 Apr 2–1 3–0 14 Apr 3–2 0–1
    Tsarsko Selo 20 Mar 0–3 10 Apr 17 Apr 0–2 0–0 1–0 — 2–2 1–2 0–0 20 Feb 6 Mar 3–0
    Levski Sofia 10 Apr 1–0 17 Apr 1–2 0–2 3–0 1–2 0–1 — 0–0 13 Feb 6 Mar 20 Mar 2–1
    Botev Vratsa 3–1 0–1 1–2 0–0 13 Feb 0–0 17 Apr 27 Feb 13 Mar — 2–0 3 Apr 1–2 5–1
    Montana 1–3 10 Apr 1–2 3–3 17 Apr 20 Feb 20 Mar 3–4 0–4 6 Mar — 3–1 2–1 1–0
    Botev Plovdiv 17 Apr 2–0 0–3 13 Feb 3–3 13 Mar 0–0 0–0 2–1 2–0 27 Feb — 10 Apr 1–1
    Slavia Sofia 0–2 0–2 13 Feb 27 Feb 0–2 3 Apr 1–1 1–0 1–0 14 Apr 13 Mar 0–0 — 0–0
    Etar 0–2 1–3 2–2 0–0 2–3 6 Mar 0–4 1–0 20 Feb 10 Apr 0–0 20 Mar 17 Apr —
    Updated to match(es) played on 20 December 2020. Source: Bulgarian Football
    Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
    For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

    Positions by round
    Team ╲ Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526
    Ludogorets118321212221111111
    Lokomotiv Plovdiv13643652111222222
    CSKA Sofia7421345445533433
    Arda5956534557654344
    Beroe3374213333466765
    CSKA 1948811111181097743456566
    Cherno More91910101212111068775777
    Tsarsko Selo12154786689991188
    Levski Sofia1212128766991112121210119
    Botev Vratsa271012129788107888910
    Montana6106711810101112101111121211
    Botev Plovdiv4589911111212911101091012
    Slavia Sofia10131313131313131313131313131313
    Etar14141414141414141414141414141414
    Updated to match(es) played on 20 December 2020. Source: Bulgarian Football

    Results by round
    Team ╲ Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526
    ArdaDDWWDWLDDDWDWWWD
    BeroeWDDWWWLLDWLWDWLW
    Botev PlovdivWLDLDLWLDWDDLLLL
    Botev VratsaWLLLDWWDDLWLLLLL
    Cherno MoreDWLLDLWLWWLDWWLL
    CSKA 1948DDLDWLWWDWWLDLWD
    CSKA SofiaDWWWDDLDDDWWWWWW
    EtarLLLLLLLDDLLDDWWD
    Levski SofiaLDLWWWLDLLLWLLLD
    Lokomotiv PlovdivLWWWLWWWDWDLDWWW
    LudogoretsLWWWWDWDDWWWWWWW
    MontanaDDWLLWLWLLDLDLLD
    Slavia SofiaDLLLLLWLWLDWDLLL
    Tsarsko SeloWDWDDLLWDLLLLLWD
    Updated to match(es) played on 20 December 2020. Source: Bulgarian Football
    W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

    Season statistics

    Top scorers
    As of 20 December 2020[1]
    Rank Player Club Goals
    1 Mathias Coureur Cherno More 15
    2 Martin Kamburov CSKA 1948 9
    3 Alioune Fall Beroe 8
    Atanas Iliev Botev Plovdiv
    Claudiu Keșerü Ludogorets
    Ivan Kokonov Arda
    7 Ali Sowe CSKA Sofia 7
    Dimitar Iliev Lokomotiv Plovdiv
    10 Daniel Genov Botev Vratsa 6
    Preslav Borukov Etar
    12 Gaius Makouta Beroe 5
    Galin Ivanov CSKA 1948
    Spas Delev Arda
    15 Alex Santana Ludogorets 4
    Bircent Karagaren Lokomotiv Plovdiv
    Borislav Tsonev Levski
    Dinis Almeida Lokomotiv Plovdiv
    Georgi Minchev
    Higinio Marín Ludogorets
    Paulinho Levski
    Toni Tasev Montana

    Most assists
    As of 20 December 2020[40]
    Rank Player Club Assists
    1 Ismail Isa Cherno More 5
    Parvizdzhon Umarbayev Lokomotiv Plovdiv
    3 Aleksandar Aleksandrov CSKA 1948 4
    Dominik Yankov Ludogorets
    Emil Martinov Arda
    Steve Furtado Beroe
    Todor Nedelev Botev Plovdiv
    8 Cauly Oliveira Ludogorets 3
    Claudiu Keșerü Ludogorets
    Petar Atanasov Botev Vratsa
    Tiago Rodrigues CSKA Sofia

    Clean sheets
    As of 18 December 2020
    Rank Player Club Clean
    sheets
    1 Daniel Naumov CSKA 1948 6
    Martin Lukov Lokomotiv Plovdiv
    3 Hristiyan Vasilev Beroe 5
    Ivan Karadzhov Arda
    5 Georgi Argilashki Botev Plovdiv 4
    Gustavo Busatto CSKA Sofia
    Ivan Dyulgerov Cherno More
    Johny Placide Tsarsko Selo
    Krasimir Kostov Botev Vratsa
    Nikolay Mihaylov Levski
    11 Hristo Ivanov Etar 3
    Plamen Iliev Ludogorets
    Renan Ludogorets

    References
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    4. "Решения след заседанието на Изпълнителния комитет на БФС". Bulgarian Football Union. 21 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
    5. "Решение СТК 28.07.2020". Bulgarian Football Union. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
    6. Dimitrov, Elin, ed. (31 July 2020). "Мачовете без публика на стадионите до края на август". actualno.com. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
    7. "Публика ще бъде допускана до спортни състезания на открито при спазване на въведените със заповед на здравния министър противоепидемични мерки". mh.government.bg. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
    8. "Поискай и ще ти се даде! Отново фенове по стадионите" (in Bulgarian). mediapool.bg. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
    9. "Преустановяват се присъствените учебни занятия за учениците в гимназиите и висшите учебни заведения". mysofia.bg. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
    10. "Затвориха стадионите в България до 12 ноември! Публика само на Sofia Open". sportal.bg. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
    11. "Министър Кралев: Имам известни забележки към феновете на някои от футболните отбори". livetv.sx (citing sportal.bg). 27 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
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    16. "Мач ще има: РЗИ Велико Търново отмени карантината на "Етър". "Болярите" посрещат "Локомотив" Пловдив днес". btvnovinite.bg. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
    17. "БФС отложи Арда - Лудогорец и пренасрочи мача на ЦСКА". topsport.bg. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
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    19. "Лоши новини за Левски! Четирима футболисти са с COVID-19". livetv.sx (citing sportal.bg). 3 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
    20. "ШОК В ЛУДОГОРЕЦ: 12 футболисти са с COVID-19". tribune.bg. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
    21. "Нови положителни проби за коронавирус в Левски". topsport.bg. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
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    23. "16-и футболист на Левски с коронавирус". sportal.bg. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
    24. "Нови трима национали са заразени с COVID-19". livetv.sx (citing sportal.bg). 16 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
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    29. "Арда отново залага на най-доброто за новия сезон" (in Bulgarian). fcarda.bg. 6 August 2020.
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    34. "Представяме ви новия екип на Черно море за сезон 2020/21" (in Bulgarian). chernomorerpfc.bg. 14 August 2020.
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    37. "Новите екипи за сезон 2020/21" (in Bulgarian). lokomotivpd.com. 31 July 2020.
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    39. "A PFG - Regular season rules". Scoresway. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
    40. "Players: Assists". Fctables. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
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