Bulgaria to ban all football personnel from betting
The BFU’s leadership aims to add a betting ban to the body’s statutes.
Bulgaria.- The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) is to vote to ban all football personnel from betting. BFU General Director Andrey Petrov and President Georgi Ivanov will present the proposal; a vote on the move is scheduled for a plenary meeting in Sofia on March 20.
Although restrictions on betting already exist under the BFU’s Disciplinary Regulations, the move would formulise them under BFU statutes, making them more permanent.
The proposal would revise the framework introduced in 2018 to add the text: “It is forbidden for all football players, coaches, and staff in the Bulgarian football ecosystem to organise or participate in any kind of wagering or gambling related to football.”
The proposed amendments would also broaden the BFU’s authority over Bulgarian football. The Union would gain exclusive control of all commercial, media, marketing, communication, and digital rights for BFU-sanctioned events. This includes a monopoly on data and betting rights, requiring operators to obtain sub-licences for live data feeds and pay associated fees. Providers such as Sportradar and Genius Sports would also be subject to these rules.
Ivanov became BFU President in 2024, succeeding Borislav Mihaylov, who had led the organisation for more than a decade.
