Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said Friday that he would consider the replacement of Interior Minister Kiril Stoyanov over the Thursday riots of football hooligans in Sofia during a protest against the management of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU). In the meantime, he has already sacked Deputy Interior Minister Stoyan Temelakiev.
At a news briefing in the government HQs, Denkov said that he saw "certain inadequacy of the assessment of the situation by the Interior Minister" in Sofia Thursday when the protest against BFU went violent. "He [Interior Minister] had assured me that he did not expect problems and provocations, he also said so in media appearances," Denkov said. On Friday morning, the Interior Minister told the Prime Minister that "nothing extraordinary happened” at the protest Thursday night.
The riots took place while the Bulgarian national football team was playing a European qualifier with Hungary to empty stands as per a BFU decision.
Denkov said that there are calls for the replacement of Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov but he would discuss the matter with Deputy Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel when she returns from a visit abroad.
While he is undecided about sacking Stoyanov, Denkov has already fired Deputy Interior Minister Stoyan Temelakiev. “Last night Kalin Stoyanov was at the cinema, which is alarming because at that time there was a government meeting and he was represented there by his deputy Stoyan Temelakiev. At one point I had to tell Temelakiev to go to the protest,” said Denkov.
He argued that there apparently is some problem in the coordination and said that he would demand information from the Interior Minister about what exactly happened and then take action.
Temelakiev is in charge of the Ministry’s operational activity.
Denkov said that “instead of a football feast Thursday night, we saw ugly scenes of violence” which he blamed on “the long-serving leadership of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) which has brought to collapse Bulgarian football and left it with no visible prospects”. He also said that “the chaotic actions of the BFU in the organization of the Thursday match turned up the tension even more”. “To that, we have to add the mistakes in the organization, made by the Interior Ministry and the Sofia Regional Directorate of the Interior, which brought together in one place warring football hooligans.”
The Prime Minister thanked all peacefully protesting football fans and the police “who did their job without using violence in this very difficult situation filled with provocations”. He went on to slam the use of violence by police. “We cannot turn a blind eye to the scenes in which police were beating up and kicking people who had fallen on the ground or had merely come within their reach.”
He has instructed Interior Ministry Secretary General Zhivko Kotsev to make sure a swift and objective investigation is conducted of the violence used by some police officers. “Their names must become clear and they must receive the due disciplinary punishment, including dismissal.”
Denkov has written to UEFA to ask them about their position regarding the events surrounding the Bulgaria-Hungary qualifier. He said he would also ask to hear FIFA’s position.
He said that he has no complaints about the Sport Minister and added that he has no direct responsibility regarding football matches.
Asked if he believes the leadership of the Sofia Directorate of the Interior should resign, Denkov said that it is a bad idea “to make wholesale accusations”. “It has to be clear who is in charge of the organization [of security during matches] and I believe it is a deputy head of the Sofia Directorate of the interior.”
Asked whether the government should resign, he said that it should be clear who is responsible for planning the event and to make an analysis after that. “It is important to make it clear who trains the police officers, whether they are instructed to use violence, and hold them accountable when violence is used. There are people who are responsible for that and the responsibility is theirs.”
/YV/
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