Bulgaria’s Etar ask prosecutor to investigate match

SOFIA, July 6 (Reuters) - Bulgarian second division club Etar Veliko Tarnovo have asked the prosecutor to investigate their 3-1 loss to Svetkavitsa Targovishte in a promotion playoff last month.

Etar, 1991 Bulgarian champions, missed out on the chance to return to the top division after a 13-year absence by losing the a game described as by Etar chief Stefan Atanasov as “extremely suspicious”, played at a neutral ground in the southern town of Sliven on June 17.
“We have serious doubts and we want to know the truth,” Atanasov told local media. “We have information about unusual betting patterns.

“We were favorites to win the game but they’re too many bets for Svetkavitsa to win the game in our town and the surroundings…”

Etar, who provided five players for the Bulgarian squad that finished fourth in the 1994 World Cup finals, were one of the most successful Bulgarian teams in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
“There’s no place at Etar for players who betray us,” added Atanasov. “We can’t rely on such players. That’s why we want to know the truth…”