PFC Botev Plovdiv
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Profesionalen Futbolen Klub Botev, commonly referred to as Botev Plovdiv ( bg, „Ботев“ Пловдив, ) or simply Botev (within its associated city), is a Bulgarian professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in
Plovdiv Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...
, Bulgaria, that competes in the Bulgarian Parva Liga, the top flight of
Bulgarian football Football ( bg, футбол, ''futbol'') is the most popular sport in Bulgaria. It was introduced in 1893–1894 by Swiss gymnastics teachers invited to the country. A football (initially called ритнитоп, ''ritnitop'', "kickball") mat ...
. Founded on 11 March 1912, it is the country's oldest active football club. Botev is named after the Bulgarian national hero
Hristo Botev Hristo Botev ( bg, Христо Ботев, ), born Hristo Botyov Petkov (Христо Ботьов Петков; – ), was a Bulgarian revolutionary and poet. Botev is considered by Bulgarians to be a symbolic historical figure and nationa ...
. The club plays its home games at
Botev 1912 Football Complex Futbolen kompleks Botev 1912 ( bg, Футболен комплекс „Ботев 1912“, en, 'Botev 1912 Football Complex' ) is a football complex in the Komatevo neighbourhood of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, which is the temporary home of Botev Plov ...
, located in the neighbourhood of
Komatevo Komatevo ( bg, Коматево) is a neighbourhood of the city of Plovdiv, southern Bulgaria. It has 6,500 inhabitants. Komatevo was a village up to 1969 when it was incorporated into Plovdiv together with Proslav. The neighbourhood is conne ...
, while its stadium is under reconstruction. During its history, the club has won 2 Bulgarian championships, 3
Bulgarian Cup The Bulgarian Cup ( bg, Купа на България, Kupa na Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it. The tournament ...
s, 1
Bulgarian Supercup The Bulgarian Supercup ( bg, Суперкупа на България) is the trophy won in a football match held between the football club that has won the Bulgarian first football division in the season that ended in the year of the match an ...
and 1 Balkans Cup. Botev has also reached the
Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
quarter-finals once. In addition, the club has been a runner-up in the domestic league twice and has reached the
Bulgarian Cup The Bulgarian Cup ( bg, Купа на България, Kupa na Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it. The tournament ...
final thirteen times. In the years before the
Bulgarian championship The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
was created, the team regularly participated in the local Plovdiv championship, claiming it six times.


History


Early years (1912–1944)

The club was founded on 11 March 1912 as ''Hristo Botyov - Futbolno druzhestvo'' (meaning "Hristo Botyov - Football Association") in
Plovdiv Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...
by 22 students from Saint Augustine's French College and First Boys High School. The name was chosen in honor of the Bulgarian national hero
Hristo Botev Hristo Botev ( bg, Христо Ботев, ), born Hristo Botyov Petkov (Христо Ботьов Петков; – ), was a Bulgarian revolutionary and poet. Botev is considered by Bulgarians to be a symbolic historical figure and nationa ...
, as proposed by the club's host - Tenyo Rusev. The club's first management board also included Stoyan Puhtev, serving as chairman, Nenko Penelov as vice-chairman and Petar Delev as both a secretary and cashier. Interestingly, the Botev Plovdiv’s constituent assembly was held on Sunday, March 11, 1912 and received a juridical registration on the next day, Monday, March 12. Presently club fans celebrate the later date as a birthday. In 1920, some members of the association split and founded a new football club, named ''Rekord''. However, this did not deter Botev from winning the first unofficial urban championship. On 30 August 1925, Botev lost 2–6 to Turkish side Fenerbahçe, in its first international match. The following year, the team led by the playing coach and captain –
Nikola Shterev Nikola Shterev ( bg, Никола Щерев) (born 13 March 1903 – 27 December 1972) was a Bulgarian international football player and coach. On club level Shterev won one national championship with Botev Plovdiv in 1929. Career Shterev st ...
, won the Plovdiv Cup. Botev won its first national title in 1929, defeating
Levski Sofia Levski Sofia ( bg, Левски София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded on 24 May 1914 ...
1–0 in the final, with Nikola Shterev scoring the winning goal. The club became the first from Plovdiv to win the
Bulgarian Championship The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
. Notable players from the period include Stancho Prodanov, Vangel Kaundzhiev and Mihail Kostov, who played for the
national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
. In the following two years as well as in 1937 and 1940, Botev won the urban championship.


1944–1960

The club's name has been changed for political reasons several times: Botev (1912–1946), DNV(1947–51), DNA (1952–57), SKNA (1957), Botev (1957–1968) and Trakia (1968–1989). In 1951, Botev Plovdiv joined the newly created Bulgarian A PFG. Despite being relegated in 1953 to the
Bulgarian B PFG The Bulgarian Second Professional Football League ( bg, Втора професионална футболна лига, Vtora Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as Second League ( bg, Втора Лига) or Vtora liga, is the second level ...
, in 1954 the club easily won promotion for the top division. 1956 was very successful for the team, which finished 3rd in the domestic league and qualified for the final of the
Bulgarian Cup The Bulgarian Cup ( bg, Купа на България, Kupa na Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it. The tournament ...
, where Botev faced
Levski Sofia Levski Sofia ( bg, Левски София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded on 24 May 1914 ...
. The final match was lost by the canaries with 2–5. In the next few years, the local municipality decided to build a new venue for the sports club. The construction for the sports complex, started on July 21, 1959, and was built in a period of two years. The new stadium was named
Hristo Botev Hristo Botev ( bg, Христо Ботев, ), born Hristo Botyov Petkov (Христо Ботьов Петков; – ), was a Bulgarian revolutionary and poet. Botev is considered by Bulgarians to be a symbolic historical figure and nationa ...
, in honor of the national hero. The sport venue was inaugurated with a friendly match between Botev and Steaua București, which was won by the canaries with 3–0 in front of 20,000 spectators.


Dinko Dermendzhiev era (1961–1980)

In 1961 Botev finished 3rd in the
A PFG The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
, for second time in the club's history. This championship also marked the first appearance of the club's most important player
Dinko Dermendzhiev Dinko Tsvetkov Dermendzhiev ( bg, Динко Цветков Дерменджиев; 2 June 1941 – 1 May 2019), nicknamed Chico was a Bulgarian footballer and coach. Club career Dinko Dermendzhiev began his youth career in Maritsa Plovdiv. Initi ...
and the beginning of Botev's golden age. Dermendzhiev holds Botev's overall appearances record, playing in 447 matches for the club. Second is Viden Apostolov with 429 matches and third is Petar Zehtinski with 351. Botev's all-time leading scorer is also Dermendzhiev, who scored 194 goals at his period in the club.
Kostadin Kostadinov Kostadin Stefanov Kostadinov ( bg, Костадин Стефанов Костадинов; born 25 June 1959) is a former Bulgarian footballer who played as a winger. Career During his career, he played for Trakia Plovdiv in Bulgaria and mad ...
is the Botev's second highest scorer with 106 goals and third is
Atanas Pashev Atanas Pashev ( bg, Атанас Пашев; born November 21, 1963) is a former Bulgarian football player who played as a winger. Career Born in Pazardzhik, Pashev played club football for most of his career with Trakia Plovdiv (now Botev Plo ...
with 100 goals. Under the leadership of
Dinko Dermendzhiev Dinko Tsvetkov Dermendzhiev ( bg, Динко Цветков Дерменджиев; 2 June 1941 – 1 May 2019), nicknamed Chico was a Bulgarian footballer and coach. Club career Dinko Dermendzhiev began his youth career in Maritsa Plovdiv. Initi ...
, Botev won their first
Bulgarian Cup The Bulgarian Cup ( bg, Купа на България, Kupa na Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it. The tournament ...
in 1962, beating
Dunav Rousse FC Dunav ( bg, Дунав, officially named ''"Дунав от Русе"'') is a Bulgarian professional football club based in Ruse, which currently competes in the Second League, the second tier of the Bulgarian football league system. Part o ...
3–0 at
Vasil Levski National Stadium Vasil Levski National Stadium ( bg, Национален стадион „Васил Левски“), named after Bulgarian national hero and revolutionary Vasil Levski (1837–1873), is the country's second largest stadium. The stadium has 43 ...
in
Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
on 12 August. In the 1962–63 season Botev reached the quarter-final of the
Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
by eliminating Steaua București and Shamrock Rovers before losing to
Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
1–5 on aggregate. In the same season the team finished runners-up in
A PFG The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
with 40 points, only 3 less than the first,
Spartak Plovdiv PFC Spartak Plovdiv ( bg, ПФК Спартак Пловдив) is a Bulgarian football club based in Plovdiv, which currently plays in the third tier of Bulgarian football, the Third League. The club was established in 1947 and folded its seni ...
. The club claimed its second national title in 1967. A few days later, political authorities merged two local clubs with Botev – ''Spartak'' and ''Akademik'', creating ''Trakia''. The "new" club, continued playing its games on Hristo Botev Stadium and kept its players, colours, history and fans. The reasoning behind the merger was creating a team which would gather the best players in the city and contend with Sofia-based teams. However, only two players from recent rivals Spartak had joined the team. The championship team featured several notable players, such as Viden Apostolov, Georgi Popov and Rayko Stoynov, with Vasil Spasov as head coach. Botev represented Bulgaria in the 1967–68 European Champions Cup where they lost in the first round to
Rapid București Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a '' cascade' ...
after 2–0 win in Plovdiv and 0–3 (a.e.t.) loss in Romania. A few years later, in 1981, the team became runners up of the Balkans Cup for the first time, playing against Yugoslavian Velež Mostar after two spectacular final matches to finish second


The Golden Team (1981–1990)

In 1981, the club's forward
Georgi Slavkov Georgi Slavkov ( bg, Георги Славков; April 11, 1958 – January 21, 2014) was a Bulgarian football player who played as a forward. Slavkov played for Trakia Plovdiv, CSKA Sofia, Saint-Étienne and Chaves. He also gained 30 Bulgari ...
won the club's highest individual achievement, the
European Golden Shoe The European Golden Shoe, also known as European Golden Boot, is an award that is presented each season to the leading goalscorer in league matches from the top division of a European national league. The trophy is a sculpture of a football boot. ...
after finishing as Europe's top domestic scorer with 31 goals. The same year, the team won its second
Bulgarian Cup The Bulgarian Cup ( bg, Купа на България, Kupa na Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it. The tournament ...
, after a win against
Pirin Blagoevgrad Futbolen klub Pirin ( bg, Футболен клуб „Пирин“), also known as Pirin Blagoevgrad is a Bulgarian football club based in Blagoevgrad, which currently competes in the First League, the top division of Bulgarian football. Th ...
. This period was very successful for the club. Botev finished 3rd in the
A PFG The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
, in 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987,
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
and 2nd in
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...
. In this year the team finished with 41 points, only 2 less than the first, Beroe, in spite of the 8–1 win against Beroe in the direct match. Many of the club's most notable stars played around this time, such as Antim Pehlivanov, Dimitar Vichev,
Atanas Pashev Atanas Pashev ( bg, Атанас Пашев; born November 21, 1963) is a former Bulgarian football player who played as a winger. Career Born in Pazardzhik, Pashev played club football for most of his career with Trakia Plovdiv (now Botev Plo ...
, Dimitar Mladenov, Zapryan Rakov, Blagoy Bangev and
Petar Zehtinski Petar Zehtinski ( bg, Петър Зехтински; born 15 September 1955) is a former Bulgarian footballer and manager who played as a midfielder. Career A skillful free kick taker and a talented passer, Zehtinski spent more than a decade wit ...
were part of the rank and file of the notable Golden Team. An important achievement of that period was the 1985 Cup Winners' Cup campaign, when Botev qualified for the second round of the tournament. The team secured a 2–0 victory against the German powerhouse Bayern Munich (with
Klaus Augenthaler Klaus "Auge" Augenthaler (born 26 September 1957) is a German former professional football player and manager. A defender, he won seven Bundesliga titles in his 15-year club career with Bayern Munich. He also represented the West Germany nat ...
,
Dieter Hoeneß Dieter Hoeneß (born 7 January 1953) is a German former professional football player and executive. A forward in his playing career, Hoeneß was mainly associated with Bayern Munich. After retiring, he stayed connected with football, working ...
,
Søren Lerby Søren Lerby (born 1 February 1958) is a Danish former football player, manager, and licensed agent. As a player, he spent most of his career in Dutch football, winning five Eredivisie championships with Ajax Amsterdam and two with PSV Eindhoven ...
,
Lothar Matthäus Lothar Herbert Matthäus (; born 21 March 1961) is a German association football, football pundit and former professional player and manager. After captaining Germany national football team, West Germany to victory in the 1990 FIFA World Cup whe ...
and
Jean-Marie Pfaff Jean-Marie Pfaff (born 4 December 1953) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper who spent most of his professional career with Beveren and Bayern Munich. Pfaff was capped 64 times playing for Belgium, and partici ...
in their squad). On November 7, 1984, in front of more than 45,000 spectators at
Plovdiv Stadium Stadion Plovdiv ( bg, Стадион „Пловдив“, en, 'Plovdiv Stadium' ) is a multi-purpose stadium in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. It is currently used mostly for athletics championships. The stadium holds 55,000. The stadium was built in 1 ...
,
Atanas Pashev Atanas Pashev ( bg, Атанас Пашев; born November 21, 1963) is a former Bulgarian football player who played as a winger. Career Born in Pazardzhik, Pashev played club football for most of his career with Trakia Plovdiv (now Botev Plo ...
and
Kostadin Kostadinov Kostadin Stefanov Kostadinov ( bg, Костадин Стефанов Костадинов; born 25 June 1959) is a former Bulgarian footballer who played as a winger. Career During his career, he played for Trakia Plovdiv in Bulgaria and mad ...
scored for the win, but Botev were eliminated after losing 1–4 in the first-leg. Another memorable win is the 1–0 home victory over
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
in a
Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
first-leg in 1981. On 29 November 1989, after 22 years of playing under ''Trakia'', the club restored its authentic name – ''Botev''.


Brokers Era (1991–1999)

In 1992, the club was bought by a conglomerate of brokers led by Hristo Alexandrov and Hristo Danov. They brought in players with experience in Bulgarian football, such as
Nasko Sirakov Nasko Petkov Sirakov ( bg, Наско Петков Сираков; born 26 April 1962) is a Bulgarian retired professional footballer who played mainly as a striker. He is the major shareholder of Levski Sofia. Part of the Bulgaria national t ...
,
Bozhidar Iskrenov Bojidar Georgiev Iskrenov ( bg, Божидар Гeopгиeв Искренов, born 1 August 1962), nicknamed Gibona (Гибона means "The Gibbon"), Gibi (Гиби) and The Joy of the People (Радостта на народа), is a former Bu ...
,
Kostadin Vidolov Kostadin Todorov Vidolov ( bg, Костадин Тодоров Видолов; born 2 May 1970) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. In his career, he played for Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Botev Plovdiv, CSKA Sofia, ...
and Borislav Mihaylov. In this period, Botev signed the first foreign player in the club's history, the Hungarian Roberto Szabay. These big investments however did not bring any significant results and the club only reached third place in the
A PFG The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
in 1993, 1994 and 1995.


Hristolov takeover, financial implosion (1999–2010)

On 19 March 1999 Botev was acquired by Dimitar Hristolov. This day marked the beginning of difficult years for the club. In the 2000–01 season, the team was relegated to B PFG, after playing 47 years in the A PFG. Botev spent one season in the second division and quickly returned to the top flight, but in 2004 the club was relegated for the second time. From 2005 to 2009 the club played in the
A PFG The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
, but in the second part of the league table. In September 2009, Botev Plovdiv set an unusual record after fielding seven Italian players in the 1–2 away loss against
Litex Lovech Litex ( bg, Литекс) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Lovech, which currently competes in the Second League. The club was founded in 1921 as Hisarya Sports Club. The club's home ground is the Gradski Stadion ...
, becoming the first
A PFG The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
club to feature that many foreigners from the same nationality. On 24 February 2010, Botev Plovdiv were administratively relegated from
A PFG The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
due to financial difficulties. Botev's opponents were awarded 3–0 wins by default during the second half of the season.


2010–present

Following the financial collapse in 2010, Botev Plovdiv were relegated to the third level of Bulgarian football, the amateur V Group for the 2010–11 season. The club was completely rebuilt on an administrative level, several Bulgarian players with first league and international experience helped the team return to
B Group The Bulgarian Second Professional Football League ( bg, Втора професионална футболна лига, Vtora Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as Second League ( bg, Втора Лига) or Vtora liga, is the second level ...
, such as striker
Atanas Kurdov Atanas Kurdov ( bg, Атанас Курдов; born 28 September 1988) is a Bulgarian footballer who plays as a forward for Botev Ihtiman. His father is former player and manager Petar Kurdov. Career Youth career Kurdov is a product of the L ...
, midfielder Todor Timonov, captain
Nikolay Manchev Nikolay Manchev (Bulgarian Cyrillic: Николай Манчев; born 4 January 1985 in Plovdiv) is a Bulgarian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bratsigovo. Career Nikolay Manchev started his career in his home town of Plovdiv, with loc ...
, and goalkeeper Armen Ambartsumyan. The club went unbeaten and won their regional third league, and thus gained promotion to the second level of Bulgarian football. A new coach was hired for the
2011–12 B Group The 2011–12 B Group was the 57th season of the Bulgarian B Football Group, the second tier of the Bulgarian football league system. The season started on 13 August 2011 and finished in June 2012 with the A Group promotion play-off. On 9 June th ...
season. Petar Houbchev, who had previous international experience both as a player and manager, succeeded
Kostadin Vidolov Kostadin Todorov Vidolov ( bg, Костадин Тодоров Видолов; born 2 May 1970) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. In his career, he played for Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Botev Plovdiv, CSKA Sofia, ...
. The lack of good results, however, saw Hubchev sacked from his position in October 2011. Botev Plovdiv then reached an agreement with a new head coach – Milen Radukanov, who didn't show good results either. Therefore,
Kostadin Vidolov Kostadin Todorov Vidolov ( bg, Костадин Тодоров Видолов; born 2 May 1970) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. In his career, he played for Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Botev Plovdiv, CSKA Sofia, ...
returned at the helm of the club and succeeded in gaining promotion to the first level of Bulgarian football, after a 2–0 win against Sportist Svoge in the play-offs. In the 2012–13 A Group season, the club showed good performance and finished fourth. Botev Plovdiv was allowed to participate in the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League, taking the place of the then financially struggling
CSKA Sofia CSKA Sofia ( bg, ЦСКА София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia and currently competing in the country's premier football competition, the First League. ''CSKA'' is an abbreviation for ''Central Sport ...
, this marked the return of the team in Europe, after 18 years of absence. The club defeated the likes of
Astana Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmo ...
and
Zrinjski Mostar Zrinjski Mostar is a sports association from the city of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was formed in 1905. Member clubs *Football: ** HŠK Zrinjski Mostar *Basketball: **HKK Zrinjski Mostar (men's) ** ŽKK Zrinjski Mostar (women's) *H ...
, before being eliminated by
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
in the
third qualifying round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...
. In 2013–14, Botev Plovdiv finished fourth once more and also reached the
2013–14 Bulgarian Cup The 2013–14 Bulgarian Cup is the 32nd official season of the Bulgarian annual Association football, football knockout tournament. The competition will begin on 18 September 2013 with the matches of the First Round and will ended with the final o ...
final, where they lost 0–1 to Ludogorets Razgrad. The club faced the same opponents in the 2014 Bulgarian Supercup match, which was lost 1–3. On the European front, the team participated in 2014–15 UEFA Europa League, where they managed to eliminate
Libertas Libertas (Latin for 'liberty' or 'freedom', ) is the Roman goddess and personification of liberty. She became a politicised figure in the Late Republic, featured on coins supporting the populares faction, and later those of the assassins of ...
, before losing to
St. Pölten ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...
. The following seasons, the club frequently secured places in the middle of the table. On 24 May 2017, Botev Plovdiv won their 3rd Bulgarian cup title in a 2–1 win against Ludogorets Razgrad, by doing so the club secured a spot in the
2017–18 UEFA Europa League The 2017–18 UEFA Europa League was the 47th season of Europe's secondary club association football, football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 9th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. The 2018 UEFA Europ ...
, where they met
Partizani Tirana Futboll Klub Partizani, or FK Partizani for short, is an Albanian professional football club based in Tirana, that competes in the Kategoria Superiore. Founded in 1946, the club was historically affiliated to the Albanian army. Partizani's curren ...
and
Beitar Jerusalem Beitar Jerusalem Football Club ( he, מועדון כדורגל בית"ר ירושלים, Moadon Kaduregel Beitar Yerushalayim), commonly known as Beitar Jerusalem () or simply as Beitar (), is an Israeli football club based in the city of Jerus ...
, before being knocked out by Marítimo in the
third qualifying round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...
. On 9 August 2017, the club won its first Bulgarian Supercup title, beating Ludogorets Razgrad 5–4 on penalties, following a 1–1 draw in regular time. In June 2021, the establishment of a reserve team, Botev Plovdiv II, was announced. In July 2021, the club was acquired by former
Reading Football Club Reading Football Club ( ) is a professional football club based in Reading, Berkshire, England. The team play in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is managed by Paul Ince. Reading are nicknamed ...
owner Anton Zingarevich.


Crest and colours

Botev Plovdiv's kit colours were adopted in August 1917, during a board meeting. The yellow colour represents the club's founders from
Saint Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Af ...
's Catholic College and
Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to t ...
's golden grain fields, while the black colour symbolises the black earth of the fertile soil as well as the Orthodoxy of the club's other founders from First Boys High School. A following board meeting, held in September 1917, replaced the club's crest, which was an encircled
Cyrillic letter , bg, кирилица , mk, кирилица , russian: кириллица , sr, ћирилица, uk, кирилиця , fam1 = Egyptian hieroglyphs , fam2 = Proto-Sinaitic , fam3 = Phoenician , fam4 = G ...
"Б", an abbreviation for "Ботевъ", the club's full name. The new approved crest (used today) was a red circle, with a green rectangle situated centrally above, with the name of the club inscribed inside. Above the rectangle was a yellow and black striped shield, while the club's year of establishment was displayed underneath it. The crests' white, green and red colours embody the tricolour of the
Kingdom of Bulgaria The Tsardom of Bulgaria ( bg, Царство България, translit=Tsarstvo Balgariya), also referred to as the Third Bulgarian Tsardom ( bg, Трето Българско Царство, translit=Treto Balgarsko Tsarstvo, links=no), someti ...
. Simultaneously, they symbolise the blood of the heroes, the pureness of the souls, and Bulgaria's fertility. The shield is a symbol of the brave while the infinite circle suggests eternity.


Club motto

Botev Plovdiv's motto is Krasota, vyara i borba ( bg, Красота, вяра и борба, , meaning ''Beauty, faith and fight'').


Kit history


Grounds

In 1959, the authorities allowed the construction of a new club stadium at the place of the old field in the neighborhood of Kamenitza. The first building works began on 21 July 1959. Two years later, Botev Plovdiv returned to The college. On May 14, 1961, the reconstructed stadium was inaugurated. The prime minister – Anton Yugov – attended the celebrations together with the deputy-minister of the defence Dobri Djurov and most of the communist leaders. The celebrations ended with a friendly match against
FC Steaua București FC Steaua București was a Romanian professional football club of which two current entities are claiming the records. The original ''FC Steaua București'' team was part of the namesake CSA Steaua București sports club and belonged to the Ministr ...
won by the yellow-blacks with 3:0. For more than 30 years, no big repairs were done on the college. In 1993, during the presidency of Hristo Danov, some serious repairs were made. The visitors' changing room was moved to the eastern part of the stadium. A tunnel under the East and the North stand was built to connect the visitors' changing room with the field and the capacity of the stadium was reduced. In 1995 electric lighting was put in, but ironically it did not reach the standards of the Bulgarian Football Union. In the years from 1926 to 1947, Botev played six international games on the ground – two wins, three losses and one draw. The matches were played against Admira Vienna (1:7),
Kecskemét Kecskemét ( , sk, Kečkemét) is a city with county rights central part Hungary. It is the eighth-largest city in the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun. Kecskemét lies halfway between the capital Budapest and the country's third ...
(3:2 and 2:4), Beşiktaş (0:0), Bohemians Prague (1:3) and the famous "Wonderteam" of
Austria Vienna Fußballklub Austria Wien AG (; known in English as Austria Vienna, and usually shortened to Austria (German: Österreich) in German-speaking countries, is an Austrian association football club from the capital city of Vienna. It has won the mos ...
(sensational win with 5:4) respectively. The attendance record was set on February 27, 1963, during the quarter-final of the Cup Winner's Cup against
Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
(1:1) – 40,000 people. The record for the Bulgarian championship was set in 1966 against
Levski Sofia Levski Sofia ( bg, Левски София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded on 24 May 1914 ...
(0:1) – 37,000 people, but because of the riots between the fans and the rush of fans on the field, Botev Plovdiv was forced to play its derbies at "The Big House" – the City Stadium. Several times, the stadium was used for football matches from the city rivals from
Lokomotiv Plovdiv PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv ( bg, ПФК Локомотив Пловдив), commonly known as Loko Plovdiv, is a Bulgarian professional football club based in Plovdiv. Lokomotiv's home ground is the Lokomotiv Stadium which is situated in Lauta Park ...
. During the second half of the 1980/81 season, "The Smurfs" (Lokomotiv Plovdiv) played their home matches on The college (which was followed by a relegation in the second division) as well as one match in the 2003/04 season (when Lokomotiv won the
A PFG The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
for the first time).
Spartak Plovdiv PFC Spartak Plovdiv ( bg, ПФК Спартак Пловдив) is a Bulgarian football club based in Plovdiv, which currently plays in the third tier of Bulgarian football, the Third League. The club was established in 1947 and folded its seni ...
also used the stadium for several matches during the 1995/1996 season. The stadium has also hosted the
Bulgarian Cup The Bulgarian Cup ( bg, Купа на България, Kupa na Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it. The tournament ...
final in 2000, when
Levski Sofia Levski Sofia ( bg, Левски София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded on 24 May 1914 ...
won the cup after 2:0 against
Naftex Burgas ''For the new club claimed as the successor, see PFC Neftochimic Burgas.'' PFC Naftex Burgas ({{Lang-bg, ПФК Нафтекс) is a former football club from Burgas, Bulgaria. History The club was created in 1962 by a group of workers, laying t ...
. In the summer of 2008, the stadium underwent renovations to meet the requirements of the Football Union, the Central Stand was renovated and the new visitors' changing room was built under it. On March 26, 2012, began a major reconstruction of the stadium, starting with conceptual design by architect Georgi Savov and supported by the new owner of the team Tzvetan Vassilev. According to estimates construction will consume about 15 million euro, and the facility must be ready for operation by mid 2015 just in time to host matches at the 2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. The reconstruction will be carried out in two phases, the first starting from the end of March 2012 and will last four months. The first stage consists in the replacement of the field, which will have modern drainage system and heating system . The field will be measuring 68x105 meters. Second stage consists of the demolishing of the four old tribunes and building of new ones closer to the football field. On home matchdays, Botev Plovdiv's players traditionally enter the pitch to the Blue Canary tune (by Marisa Fiordaliso and
Carlo Buti Carlo Buti (14 November 1902 – 16 November 1963) was an Italian interpreter of popular and folk music. He was known as "the Golden Voice of Italy", and was possibly the first superstar of Italian music in the twentieth century. He recorded 1574 so ...
) before the start of a game.


Supporters and rivalries

Botev Plovdiv has maintained a strong fan base over the years and in terms of the popularity is staged as the third most supported club in Bulgaria. There is no unique umbrella organization embracing all fans of the Plovdiv Canaries. The club's
ultras Ultras are a type of association football fans who are renowned for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tende ...
are known as ''Bultras''. Botev's eternal rival is the neighbouring city club of
Lokomotiv Plovdiv PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv ( bg, ПФК Локомотив Пловдив), commonly known as Loko Plovdiv, is a Bulgarian professional football club based in Plovdiv. Lokomotiv's home ground is the Lokomotiv Stadium which is situated in Lauta Park ...
, and both form the local
Plovdiv derby The Plovdiv derby is the derby in Bulgarian football between Botev Plovdiv and Lokomotiv Plovdiv. It is named after the city, where both clubs are located. The Plovdiv derby is considered to be the second fiercest rivalry in Bulgarian football ...
. The two teams are the most supported ones in the second largest city in Bulgaria – Plovdiv – and the matches between them are well known to the Bulgarian football community, and also considered to be one of the fiercest rivalries in the world. Botev is the country's oldest continuously existing team, whereas Lokomotiv grew popular fanbase in the 70s. Traditionally, Lokomotiv's team drew support from the lower working class of society, whereas Botev's fanbase consisted mainly of the middle and upper classes, although that no longer applies. Botev's regional cross-city rival is
Beroe Stara Zagora Beroe ( bg, Берое) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Stara Zagora, that competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded in 1916 under the name ''Vere ...
. The match between the two clubs was dubbed as the " Thracian Derby" over the years. The club also has a strong rivalry with
Levski Sofia Levski Sofia ( bg, Левски София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded on 24 May 1914 ...
and
CSKA Sofia CSKA Sofia ( bg, ЦСКА София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia and currently competing in the country's premier football competition, the First League. ''CSKA'' is an abbreviation for ''Central Sport ...
, as the three of which compete to be the most popular teams in the country. Botev fans have friendly relations with
Aris Thessaloniki Athlitikos Syllogos Aris Thessalonikis, means Athletic Club Aris Thessaloniki
...
fans. In January 2020 a group of Botev fan that attended a game between Aris and their rival PAOK Thessaloniki was attacked by PAOK fans. One Botev fan was killed by a car. Two individuals were arrested and charged with murder.


Players


Current squad

''For recent transfers, see Transfers summer 2022 and Transfers winter 2022–23.''


Foreign players

Up to twenty foreign nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the
Bulgarian First League The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
, 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.


Second-team squad


Retired numbers

12 – Dedicated to the club's supporters


Honours


Domestic

* Bulgarian State Football Championship/
A Group The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
: : Winners (2): 1929, 1966–67 : Runners-up (2): 1962–63, 1985–86 : Third place (14): 1930, 1937, 1943, 1956, 1960–61, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2021–22 *
Bulgarian Cup The Bulgarian Cup ( bg, Купа на България, Kupa na Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it. The tournament ...
: : Winners (3): 1961–62, 1980–81, 2016–17 : Runners-up (10): 1947, 1956, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1983–84, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1994–95, 2013–14, 2018–19 *
Bulgarian Supercup The Bulgarian Supercup ( bg, Суперкупа на България) is the trophy won in a football match held between the football club that has won the Bulgarian first football division in the season that ended in the year of the match an ...
: : Winners (1): 2017 : Runners-up (1): 2014 *
Soviet Army Cup The Bulgarian Cup ( bg, Купа на България, Kupa na Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it. The tournamen ...
: : Runners-up (1):
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...


European

* Balkans Cup: : Winners (1):
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
: Runners-up (1): 1980–81 *
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
: : Quarter-finalists: 1962–63


Summary


UEFA ranking


Past seasons

ImageSize = width:1600 height:65 PlotArea = left:10 right:10 bottom:30 top:10 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/07/1948 till:01/07/2023 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:2 start:1949 Colors = id:bl1 value:rgb(0.5,0.8,0.5) id:bl2 value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.3) id:rs value:rgb(0.8,0.6,0.6) id:rn value:rgb(0.9,0.1,0.1) PlotData= bar:Position width:16 color:bl1 align:center from:01/07/1948 till:01/07/1949 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1948 till:01/07/1949 color:white shift:(0,14) text: " B " from:01/07/1949 till:01/07/1950 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/1949 till:01/07/1950 color:red shift:(0,14) text: " V" from:01/07/1950 till:01/07/1951 shift:(0,-4) text:10 from:01/07/1951 till:01/07/1952 shift:(0,-4) text:9 from:01/07/1952 till:01/07/1953 shift:(0,-4) text:11 from:01/07/1950 till:01/07/1953 color:green shift:(0,14) text: "
A Group The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
" from:01/07/1953 till:01/07/1954 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1953 till:01/07/1954 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "
B Group The Bulgarian Second Professional Football League ( bg, Втора професионална футболна лига, Vtora Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as Second League ( bg, Втора Лига) or Vtora liga, is the second level ...
" from:01/07/1954 till:01/07/1955 shift:(0,-4) text:10 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:7 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:4 from:01/07/1962 till:01/07/1963 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/1963 till:01/07/1964 shift:(0,-4) text:7 from:01/07/1964 till:01/07/1965 shift:(0,-4) text:12 from:01/07/1965 till:01/07/1966 shift:(0,-4) text:10 from:01/07/1966 till:01/07/1967 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1967 till:01/07/1968 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/1968 till:01/07/1969 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/1969 till:01/07/1970 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/1970 till:01/07/1971 shift:(0,-4) text:5 from:01/07/1971 till:01/07/1972 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/1972 till:01/07/1973 shift:(0,-4) text:9 from:01/07/1973 till:01/07/1974 shift:(0,-4) text:10 from:01/07/1974 till:01/07/1975 shift:(0,-4) text:10 from:01/07/1975 till:01/07/1976 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/1976 till:01/07/1977 shift:(0,-4) text:11 from:01/07/1977 till:01/07/1978 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/1978 till:01/07/1979 shift:(0,-4) text:8 from:01/07/1979 till:01/07/1980 shift:(0,-4) text:5 from:01/07/1980 till:01/07/1981 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/1981 till:01/07/1982 shift:(0,-4) text:7 from:01/07/1982 till:01/07/1983 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/1983 till:01/07/1984 shift:(0,-4) text:9 from:01/07/1984 till:01/07/1985 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/1985 till:01/07/1986 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/1986 till:01/07/1987 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/1987 till:01/07/1988 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/1988 till:01/07/1989 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/1989 till:01/07/1990 shift:(0,-4) text:7 from:01/07/1990 till:01/07/1991 shift:(0,-4) text:5 from:01/07/1991 till:01/07/1992 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/1992 till:01/07/1993 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/1993 till:01/07/1994 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/1994 till:01/07/1995 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/1995 till:01/07/1996 shift:(0,-4) text:10 from:01/07/1996 till:01/07/1997 shift:(0,-4) text:5 from:01/07/1997 till:01/07/1998 shift:(0,-4) text:11 from:01/07/1998 till:01/07/1999 shift:(0,-4) text:13 from:01/07/1999 till:01/07/2000 shift:(0,-4) text:8 from:01/07/2000 till:01/07/2001 shift:(0,-4) text:13 from:01/07/1954 till:01/07/2001 color:green shift:(0,14) text: "
A Group The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
" from:01/07/2001 till:01/07/2002 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/2001 till:01/07/2002 color:white shift:(0,14) text: " B " from:01/07/2002 till:01/07/2003 shift:(0,-4) text:12 from:01/07/2003 till:01/07/2004 shift:(0,-4) text:14 from:01/07/2002 till:01/07/2004 color:green shift:(0,14) text: " A " from:01/07/2004 till:01/07/2005 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/2004 till:01/07/2005 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "
B Group The Bulgarian Second Professional Football League ( bg, Втора професионална футболна лига, Vtora Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as Second League ( bg, Втора Лига) or Vtora liga, is the second level ...
" from:01/07/2005 till:01/07/2006 shift:(0,-4) text:13 from:01/07/2006 till:01/07/2007 shift:(0,-4) text:10 from:01/07/2007 till:01/07/2008 shift:(0,-4) text:12 from:01/07/2008 till:01/07/2009 shift:(0,-4) text:13 from:01/07/2009 till:01/07/2010 shift:(0,-4) text:16 from:01/07/2005 till:01/07/2010 color:green shift:(0,14) text: "
A Group The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
" from:01/07/2010 till:01/07/2011 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/2010 till:01/07/2011 color:red shift:(0,14) text: " V" from:01/07/2011 till:01/07/2012 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/2011 till:01/07/2012 color:white shift:(0,14) text: " B" from:01/07/2012 till:01/07/2013 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/2013 till:01/07/2014 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/2014 till:01/07/2015 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/2015 till:01/07/2016 shift:(0,-4) text:7 from:01/07/2012 till:01/07/2016 color:green shift:(0,14) text: "
A Group The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
" from:01/07/2016 till:01/07/2017 shift:(0,-4) text:8 from:01/07/2017 till:01/07/2018 shift:(0,-4) text:5 from:01/07/2018 till:01/07/2019 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/2019 till:01/07/2020 shift:(0,-4) text:7 from:01/07/2020 till:01/07/2021 shift:(0,-4) text:10 from:01/07/2021 till:01/07/2022 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/2022 till:01/07/2023 shift:(0,-4) text: from:01/07/2016 till:01/07/2023 color:green shift:(0,14) text: " First League"
*67 seasons in
A Group The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
*5 seasons in
B Group The Bulgarian Second Professional Football League ( bg, Втора професионална футболна лига, Vtora Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as Second League ( bg, Втора Лига) or Vtora liga, is the second level ...
*2 seasons in V Group


Club officials


Head coaches

;Key :* Served as
caretaker manager In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular Manager (association football), manager is dismissed or leaves for a ...
. The table below is a list of the last ten Botev Plovdiv managers.


Chairmen


Records

Note: ''For a complete list of Botev Plovdiv players, see :Botev Plovdiv players.''


Player of the year


References


External links


Official website


at
UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

Profile
at
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Botev Plovdiv Football clubs in Bulgaria Association football clubs established in 1912 Fan-owned football clubs 1912 establishments in Bulgaria