FC CSKA 1948 Sofia
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| Full name | Football Club Central Sports Club of the Army 1948 Sofia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Червените (The Reds); Армейците (The Army Men) | ||
| Founded | 19 July 2016[1] | ||
| Ground | Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia | ||
| Capacity | 44,000 | ||
| Owner | FC CSKA 1948 Association | ||
| Chairman | Dobrin Gyonov | ||
| Manager | Radoslav Zdravkov | ||
| Coach | Miroslav Mindev | ||
| League | First League | ||
| 2020–21 | First League, 5th | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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Football Club Central Sports Club of the Army 1948 Sofia (Bulgarian: Футболен Клуб Централен Спортен Клуб на Армията 1948 София) is a Bulgarian football club from the city of Sofia. The team plays its home matches at the Vasil Levski National Stadium and competes in Bulgaria's First League. The colours of the club are red and white.
The club was founded in 2016, after a dispute between some members of the club CSKA Sofia, which was relegated to the third tier after the 2014–15 season for financial reasons. The owner of the original CSKA, Grisha Ganchev. This led to disagreements and controversies among members of the CSKA Sofia and resulted in the creation of CSKA 1948.
History[]
Foundation[]
The club was founded on 19 July 2016, at a meeting at the Central Military Club in Sofia. The members of the Constituent Assembly announced partnership with Errea and a new crest close to CSKA Septemvriisko Zname.[2]
2016–2018: Amateur Leagues[]
On 21 August 2016, FC CSKA 1948 won its first cup in a friendly four-team tournament in Kokalyane. The team defeated Akademik Sofia 1–0 in the final.
In its first official game for the 2016–17 season in A OFG Sofia (capital) South, CSKA 1948 won 8–0 against Lyulin Sofia. The club began playing its home games at Vasil Levski Stadium, but later during the season used the stadiums in Obelya and German. CSKA 1948 won its group and became champion of the whole A OFG Sofia (capital) after victory 4–3 against Nadezhda Dobroslavtsi. Then, on 7 June 2017, the team played with Bratsigovo in order to qualify for the Third League and won after penalties (7–6).[3] Beside that, CSKA 1948 reached the final for the Cup of Bulgarian Amateur Football League, which they lost on 25 May 2017 to the club from the Third league FC Chernomorets Balchik.[4]
For their first season in the third division of the Bulgarian football (2017–18), the club moved to Dragalevtsi Stadium, in order to comply with the requirements of the respective league. After very strong performance, on 19 May 2018 CSKA 1948 secured its place in Second Professional League.[5] The team finished with 29 wins, 5 draws and no losses, as two players of the Reds became goalscorers of the South-West Third League - Andon Gushterov and Petko Petkov. Also, CSKA 1948 had again a good campaign for the Cup of Bulgarian Amateur Football League, this time reaching the semi-finals.
2018–2020: Second Professional League[]
For the beginning of the 2018–19 season in the Second Professional League, CSKA 1948 moved to Vasil Levski Stadium due to the higher league it is playing in. Strong selection of professional players was done, as the goal for the season is qualification for First League. After four rounds, manager Valentin Iliev, who managed the club from the very beginning, was replaced with Petko Petkov. CSKA 1948 eventually finished fourth, three points below the promotion playoff place, which was occupied by Arda Kardzhali. Although CSKA didn't promote to the elite in their first attempt, the team established itself as a strong contender for promotion.
For the 2019–20 season, CSKA started the season on a high note, defeating local rivals Lokomotiv Sofia 2–0 at home. This was followed by an away win at newly promoted Spartak Pleven with a score of 1–4. Another dominant 2–0 win against Spartak Varna earned the team three out of three wins in their first three matches. An away win against Montana, followed by a home destruction of OFC Pomorie extended their winning steak to 5 games. CSKA's spectacular form continued, as the team defeated Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa and Strumska Slava in the following rounds. The team then beat fellow Sofia rivals Septemvri Sofia 5–0 at home. The first defeat of the season came in the tenth round, when CSKA 1948 lost 1–0 to Litex Lovech. After a 2–0 home win against Chernomorets Balchik, CSKA suffered another loss in the hands of Kariana Erden. This was followed by three consecutive wins, which ended with a disappointing 2–2 home draw against Ludogorets II. Following that, the team managed to win two away games, against Botev Galabovo and Lokomotiv Sofia again, which put them in second place in the table, three points behind Septemvri Sofia, before the winter break.
2020–present: First Professional League[]
CSKA 1948 secured their First League spot for the 2020–21 season after finishing 1st in the 2019–20 Second League. Krasimir Balakov was announced as manager for the new season on June 2, and the club unveiled a new logo on June 30 in preparation for their First League debut. On August 7 the team faced CSKA in its first game of the new season, the encounter resulted in a 2–2 draw.[6]
Shirt, sponsor and mascot[]
The colours of the team main kit are red and white. The second kit is in white and the third - in black, with white sleeves.
On 31 January 2017 CSKA 1948 presented its main sponsor - Efbet. The company sponsors not only the first team, but the academy too.[7]
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt partner |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  Errea
|
None |
| 2017–2020 | Efbet | |
| 2020– |  Adidas
|
Since 2018, the team mascot is Army the lion.[8]
Honours[]
- 5th place (1): 2020–21
- Winners (1): 2019–20
- Winners (1): 2017–18
A OFG Sofia:
- Winners (1): 2016–17
Cup of Bulgarian Amateur Football League:
- Runners-up (1): 2016–17
Players[]
Current squad[]
As of 28 January 2021
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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For recent transfers, see Transfers winter 2020–21 and Transfers summer 2021.
Out on loan[]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Foreign players[]
Up to five non-EU nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the Bulgarian First Professional League however only three can be used in 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.
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EU Nationals
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EU Nationals (Dual citizenship) |
Non-EU Nationals |
Second-team squad[]
Club officials[]
Coaching staff and personnel[]
 Radoslav Zdravkov
|
Sports Director |
| vacant | Manager |
| vacant | Head coach |
| Kostadin Hazurov
|
Assistant coach |
| Atanas Bornosuzov
|
Assistant coach |
| Martin Mitev
|
Goalkeeping coach |
| Ivan Slavov
|
Analyzer |
| Svetlin Spasov
|
Fitness coach |
| Nikolay Georgiev
|
Fitness coach |
| Dimitar Stoyanov
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Physiotherapist |
| Petar Lozanov
|
Physiotherapist |
| Rayko Ivanov
|
Masseur |
| Liliya Stefanova
|
Psychologist |
| Asparuh Lazarov
|
Administrator |
| David Lozanov
|
Administrator |
| Spas Stoimenov
|
U19 coach |
| Roman Tafradzhiev
|
U17 coach |
| Hristiyan Voynov
|
U15 coach |
| Bogomil Dyakov
|
U11 coach |
Manager history[]
| Name | Nat | From | To | Honours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adalbert Zafirov |
|
1 July 2016 | 1 September 2016 | |
| Valentin Iliev |
|
2 September 2016 | 21 June 2018 | 1 Fourth League title 1 Third League title |
| Petko Petkov |
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1 July 2018 | 21 October 2019 | |
| Yordan Yurukov |
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21 October 2019 | 6 June 2020 | 1 Second League title |
| Krasimir Balakov |
|
6 June 2020 | 23 March 2021 | |
| Rosen Kirilov |
|
23 March 2021 | 24 April 2021 |
Seasons[]
| Season | League | Bulgarian Cup | Other competitions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Level | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Pos | ||||
| 2016–17 | A OFG Sofia (capital) South | 4 | 22 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 105 | 7 | 98 | 64 | 1st 
|
DNE | Cup of AFL | F |
| 2017–18 | South-West Third League | 3 | 34 | 29 | 5 | 0 | 95 | 16 | 79 | 92 | 1st 
|
QR2 | SF | |
| 2018–19 | Second League | 2 | 30 | 16 | 11 | 3 | 39 | 18 | 21 | 59 | 4th | R1 | DNE | |
| 2019–20 | 2 | 21 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 59 | 18 | 41 | 55 | 1st
|
QF | |||
| 2020–21 | First League | 1 | 31 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 41 | 34 | 7 | 47 | 5th | QF | DNE | |
| 1 | ||||||||||||||
League positions[]
See also[]
- List of fan-owned sports teams
- F.C. United of Manchester
- AFC Wimbledon
- CSA Steaua București
References[]
- ^ Нов ЦСКА бе учреден, ще участва в А окръжна група
- ^ ЦСКА 1948 ще играе с емблема като на "Септемврийско знаме"
- ^ Голям късмет покри "червените": ЦСКА 1948 влезе в Трета лига след невероятна драма
- ^ Черноморец разпиля слаб ЦСКА 1948 и спечели Купата!
- ^ ЦСКА 1948 го направи! "Червените" са във Втора лига, от догодина имат право да атакуват Европа
- ^ "Красимир Балъков е новият треньор на ЦСКА 1948". gong.bg. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ ЦСКА 1948 представя основен спонсор на клуба
- ^ Лъвчето на ЦСКА 1948 ще се казва Арми
External links[]
- FC CSKA 1948 Sofia
- Football clubs in Bulgaria
- Association football clubs established in 2016
- 2016 establishments in Bulgaria
- Football clubs in Sofia
- Phoenix clubs (association football)